Chained to Fate
by Faxton
Summary: :on hiatus for the time being: Ginny hadn't been looking for romance, least of all from Slytherin. But a certain seventh year happens to need her help and she finds herself in trouble because of it.
1. Unspoken Words

Chained To Fate

Chapter One: Unspoken Words 

It was late August, less than one week remained of the summer holiday that the Hogwarts students were now on. In five days, on September the first, students would be heading with their families to King's Cross Station and to Platform nine-and-three-quarters. There they would end up boarding the Hogwarts Express and off to the school the would be going for another ten months. 

Ginny had been sitting under a willow tree near to her house when her mother had called her in for supper. She finished the paragraph in the book she was reading, dog-eared the page, and headed inside. She entered the house, placed the book on the stairs up to her room and saw her brother, Ron, and his two friends Harry Potter and Hermione Granger enter the house from the front door. 

"Home, mum," Ron announced as the trio entered the kitchen, the scent of spaghetti was wafting lazily in the air. 

"Good just in time for supper," came the voice of Mrs. Weasley and a short, plump woman came into the hallway, a paled orange apron tied around her waist. She had shooed the three out of the kitchen, ushering them away to wash for supper. She then looked to her only daughter and beckoned her into the kitchen to set the table.

Ginny followed her mother into the tiny kitchen. Tying her long auburn hair into a mess knot on the back of her head, Ginny went on getting out plates and cutlery to prepare the table. "Are Fred and George around, mum?" she asked, wanting to know if her twin brothers would be around for dinner so she could know if she had to set a place for them. 

"I don't believe so dear, they won't be back until you've all left for Hogwarts. Percy'll be back tomorrow night however." She continued to bustle around the kitchen and soon she placed the meal on the table, Ron, Harry and Hermione having returned. 

After supper, Ginny found her way to her room, she picked up her book on the way. She shut her room door and lay on her bed, her arms underneath her head. She lay, staring at the ceiling, for sometime, wondering what the new year would bring and wondering if it would be any different.

Eventually she picked up her book again and submersed herself in the text of the author. She jumped into the world of Middle-Earth, where a little creature, called a hobbit, held the fate of his world in a ring around his neck. She wondered if the Muggle author, Tolkien, ever knew about wizards and magic, and perhaps it was this that had inspired his writing. Or, she wondered if Middle-Earth had been the place in his head that Tolkien would run to when he needed escaping. None the less Ginny enjoyed the tale of the Ring Bearer and returned to her reading to discover what had come to the two hobbits known as Merry and Pippin. 

  
  


The second Harry had stepped into the Burrow, the first thing he noticed was Ginny. She had come in the back way at the same time he, Ron and Hermione had come in the front. A book was nestled under one of her arms, her deep red hair poured over her shoulders, her cheeks and nose were lightly dotted with freckles due to an afternoon spent under the summer sun. 

He had run upstairs with his two best friends to tidy up for supper, and when he returned to the kitchen, following behind Ron, he noted Ginny, her hair now tied messily up in a knot, holding cutlery in her hand, laying it on the table. She was in light conversation with her mother, a tiny smile present on her face.

Harry had sat across from her all supper and had barely spoken a word to her. He was now heading into his seventh and final year at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry. Ginny was about to start her sixth year. He had known about the infatuation Ginny had had with him for the first while she had known him. But that, like any infatuation had come to pass and Ginny, like all other teenage girls had moved on from her school girl crush. He, however, had just noticed Ginny when she had stopped noticing him. She was an amazing girl, bright, caring, intelligent, beautiful and she had the most amazing smile he had ever seen.

Unfortunately for Harry, he didn't feel it right to act upon his feelings for Ginny, especially now that he knew she no longer liked him in anyway more than a friendship. Asides from that fact, she was also the kid sister of his best friend and Harry thought that kind of odd. 

After supper had ended, and the table had been cleared of all dishes, he watched Ginny walk from the cozy eating area, pick a book up from the staircase and head to her room. Later when he and Ron had passed, going up to Ron's room, leaving Hermione to help Mrs. Weasley with the dishes, he saw that her room door was closed. He couldn't see the lovely girl that was on the other side. 

Harry feel asleep that night with thoughts of Ginny in his head, how her shy smile played jovially on her face, and how her golden eyes lite up with every laugh and chuckle. He sighed heavily before finally slipping into darkness.

  
  


It must have been at least two o'clock in the morning when Ginny woke up from her sleep. She sat up in her bed, and lite the candle beside her bed, her room now glowing eerily. The watch on her bedside table read that it was just about that, one fifty-three to be exact. She yawned and scratched at the itch behind her ear, she then picked up the book once more and began reading. She didn't get far before she once more dog-eared the page she had stopped on and put the book back to its spot on the table. Drawing her legs into her body, she rested her chin upon her knees and breathed deeply.

An awkward thought of Harry Potter had come into her mind, and she couldn't really explain why. She had once liked him, a long time ago, when she was only a girl, but that crush exsisted no more. Finally, after five years of infatuating over the Boy-Who-Lived, Ginny had finally gotten over him by the mid of last school year. 

Now, however, she found out that Harry had just gotten those same feelings for her. A little too late if you asked Ginny Weasley. He had to start liking her after she had gotten on with her life. Things just always worked out that way, or so they seemed. 

It had been no accident that Ginny had found out how Harry felt about her, he had come right out and said it. Ginny remembered the day, it must've been only five or six days into the summer holiday, and it had been a day much like today. She had been sitting under the same willow tree, reading the first installment of Tolkien's series, when Harry had approached her. She had put down the book and looked to her brother's best friend. He had then begun to talking to Ginny, and told her all about the emotions he now had for her. 

She had flat out turned him down, explaining that she was no longer interested in him unless it was in the fashion of being friends. She had felt awful about doing it, but she couldn't lie to him, that would've surely been worse. So, Harry had nodded, accepting Ginny's feelings and left, returning to the house. 

Yawning, she shook her head and came out of her dream world. She retied the mess of hair and wondered if Ron knew about the way Harry felt about her. Harry was Ron's best friend, but Ginny was his sister. She had no idea if Harry would tell Ron about something like that. 

She dwelt on her thoughts for awhile longer. Still not able to sleep, she pulled a black hardcover book out, a simple quill and black ink and began to write, until finally near three o'clock she put the book away, blew the flame of the candle out and fell back into a mindless sleep. 

* * *

On the first of September, around ten o'clock, Ginny, Ron, Hermione, Harry and Mrs. Weasley headed to King's Cross Station with all the luggage to send the students back to the castle for another year of schooling. Mr. Weasley had been unable to go for he had been suddenly needed in the office first thing that morning. 

"Bye Ginny dear, do behave yourself," Mrs. Weasley said as her only daughter stepped onto the scarlet Express. 

"You don't have to worry about me mom," Ginny smiled leaning from the train steps and kissing her mother lightly on the top of her head. "It was Fred and George you needed to worry about." 

Mrs. Weasley let out a soft chuckle and then Ginny disappeared off into the compartment of the train, her trunk having already been brought to the back.

Ginny passed the compartment where her brother and his two friends were sitting, she said a quick, brief hello and passed on her way, in search of the Gryffindors from her year. Finally finding Quinlan Messing and Lynda Smithies in a compartment much further up the train she took up a seat.

"Hi Ginny," the brunette of the two greeted with a smile. She had two long braids of chestnut brown hair, olive tanned skin and dark brown eyes. 

"Morning Quin," Ginny greeted in return, having sat across from the brunette. She then looked to the other girl, who had sandy coloured, blonde hair, fair skin and hazel eyes. "Lynda."

"Hey Gin," Lynda said, and the three sixth year Gryffindors engaged in a small talk conversation about their summer holidays. 

Silence feel amongst the three girls. Quinlan left to find her younger sister and check up on her. Lynda feel asleep, curled up on the bench across from Ginny. This left Ginny to herself, wide awake and with nothing to do, but read her book.

A timeless seeming hour had passed before Ginny looked up again, folding in the corner of her book. Lynda was still asleep, breathing light and soundlessly. Quin had not returned and Ginny had assumed that she had found Colin Creevey, another Gryffindor sixth year who Quin had been dating off and on for the past year. Ginny looked out into the hallway around her compartment. Many of the younger students were running around, excited about being back with their friend and returning to the castle. The compartment across the aisle from the one she was sitting in held three Slytherins and she shook her head as she saw silver blonde hair. 

It could only be Draco Malfoy, and his two bullies Vincent Crabbe and Gregory Goyle. She glared pointlessly through the glass doors as she knew Malfoy hadn't seen her. He was presently the Slytherin Quidditch Seeker and Team Captain, had some of the top marks in his year and was the nemisis of her brother and his friends. 

Ginny was about to pick up her book when a fourth party came to the compartment of the seventh year Slytherin males. He was a tale boy, taller than her brother, but less gangly. She noticed he had dark, spiked hair, even darker eyes and deep olive tanned skin. In the cartilage of his left ear was pierced a thick silver hoop. A smirk roamed the corners of his mouth and he chuckled at whatever it was Malfoy had just said. 

"Blaise are you going to come in or just stand there with the door open?" she could her the voice of Malfoy question. She realized then that that fine looking boy standing outside the compartment was Blaise Zabini, none other than the best mate of Malfoy. Of course things hadn't always been that way, because Ginny had never seen Blaise around when Malfoy was teasing her or her brother, Harry and Hermione. But one day, sometime in November of last year he had sort of appeared as Malfoy's new best friend, and for awhile even Ron didn't know exactly who he was. That was until Hermione pointed out that he was Blaise Zabini, a Slytherin in their year. She then had to continue to explain that Blaise was generally a quiet boy, who she saw many a times in the library doing his studies. When Malfoy had discovered that Blaise was talented on the Quidditch pitch as a Keeper and Blaise had apparently spent summer at the Malfoys the two had become near to inseperable, always creating more havoc then either could handle. 

"Gin?" came the sudden questioning voice of Lynda, snapping Ginny out of her thoughts. 

Ginny looked over her shoulder to her friend who was now sitting up and stretching out her tired knees. "Are we almost at Hogwarts?" Lynda asked with a yawn.

"I believe so," Ginny nodded and yawned herself. 

  
  


Blaise Zabini had been walking from the very back of the train in search for other members of his Slytherin year, namely Draco Malfoy. He had passed just about everyone else, save the people who he was actually looking for, but finally he came to them and opened the sliding glass door causing Vincent Crabbe to jump slightly from his seat. 

"If it isn't Zabini," Draco drawled with a grin on his face. Blaise chuckled and nodded in reply. "Blaise are you going to come in or just stand there with the door open?" 

"Good question," Blaise said and entered the compartment. He sat in the empty seat next to Vince, across from Draco. He shut the door behind him, blocking out most of the noise from the busy aisle. 

"We were wondering when exactly you were going to come around," Gregory Goyle said, looking from out of the window over to Blaise. 

"I had been way at the far back of this bloody train," Blaise explained. "I think I passed half the damn school on my search for you all."

"As you walked more than half the train length that makes sense," Draco said sarcastically and rolled his gray eyes. 

"Yes well ... " Blaise trailed off, dropping the other half of his sentence. The four Slytherin males then engaged in conversation, sticking primarily to the topic of Quidditch and the odds of Slytherin winning the Quidditch Cup this year. 

"We do have a strong team this year," Blaise pointed out, he acted almost as Draco's team co-Captain, helping him make and strengthen the team. "We only need to replace what, one Chaser this year?" 

"I think that's it," Draco agreed, "I think we only lost one last year. We'll just run our tryouts early on, get our team together quick and we should have a good shot at the Cup this year." 

"Slytherin needs to win it for our last year here," Greg voiced, hopeful for a Slytherin win for his final year at Hogwarts. 

"In both Quidditch and the House Cup," Vince put in. 

"Slytherin hasn't won since Harry Potter decided to come to Hogwarts," Draco loathed, enraged that his House's winning streak had been broken the year he had come to Hogwarts. 

"All will change my friend, all will change," Blaise said, a sly, devious smirk evident on his face. "I think a good win is due for Slytherin this year, and I find that we are just the year that will bring our House that win."

"You scare me when you plot," Vince said. 

"Yeah," Greg agreed, "you get this glazed over, evil look that's not a normal look for even you and it's rather scary."

"You plotting is almost worse than Draco plotting," Vince concluded, a somewhat paranoid look upon his face.

Both Blaise and Draco exchanged looks, then looked back at Vince and Greg, chuckling and laughing as if it were the funniest thing one could've said. But then Vince and Greg did have the right mind set, for both Draco and Blaise came up with seemingly horrible plot concotions on their own, but put the two of them together and there were bound to be some fairly frightening things about to take place. 

  
  


The train suddenly came to stop, and the students had arrived in Hogsmeade station just outside of Hogwarts Castle. Ginny stood up and followed Lynda from their compartment, she had accidentlly knocked into Malfoy on the her way through the busy aisle. He turned and glared heavily at her. "Watch it weasel," he muttered, almost inaudibly under his breath. He then continued on his way with the other three Slytherin males. 

Ginny and Lynda got into a horseless carriage along with Quin who they finally met up with again off the train. 

"Sorry," she began to explain, "after I found my little sister, I ran into Colin. I hadn't seen him all summer and there was much to catch up on. Sorry I never came back." She got into the carriage before either Lynda or Ginny got in. 

"And I'm sure all you had to do was 'catch up' on your summer vacations," Lynda said sarcastically, and gave Quin a very fake angelic grin. 

Quinlan tossed her head to the side, and with it followed her two braids. "Ha, ha, aren't you just the most funny thing ever?" she replied and the carriage took off, bumping along up the path leading to the castle. 

When Ginny took a seat at the majestically set Gryffindor Table in the Great Hall, she found herself sitting across from no one other than Harry. She gave him a small, sheepish smile, and avoided any talk, turning to Quin who sat on her right. Ginny wanted to tell both Quin and Lynda about her summer, and her moment with Harry, but this was definitely not the time nor the place, and besides the first years had just been gathered to the front of the Hall and the Sorting Ceremony was about to begin. 

  
  


Draco looked up from the table as the young, newcomers entered the Great Hall and proceeded to make their way to the front, up by the High Table, where the Ceremony would take place. Dreading the yearly song from the Sorting Hat and the long, pointless speech given by Dumbledore, he began to scan the Hall, spying on what everyone was doing. 

He had been thinking of Quidditch potential and trying to come up with a game plan, but that failed when his eyes came to the Gryffindor Table. He found Potter and glared at him. There would be no way in all the wizarding world that Potter and his damn team of Gryffindors would beat the Slytherins this year, Draco silently promised himself that. 

McGonagall must've been near to the end of the Ceremony when Draco finally pulled out of his thoughts. He looked up to the Ceremony and watched the final student, a short dumpy looking boy, run to an empty seat at the Ravenclaw Table. The Headmaster, Albus Dumbledore, rose from his chair in the middle of the High Table and rapped three times on the goblet set in front of him .

"And if it isn't the feared Dumbledore welcome back speech," Draco said quietly to Blaise with a roll of his grey eyes. 

Blaise chortled. "They do seem to be getting shorter and shorter with every year."

"Oh, yeah, and last year's was only what, ten minutes?" Draco reminded the boy sitting next to him. 

"Okay, okay, so perhaps last year's wasn't all that short, but the speeches seemed to be somewhat shorter in previous years."

"So, with that," Dumbledore's voice overpowered that of Draco and Blaise, both turning to look at the old man, "I welcome you to yet another year at Hogwarts School, and the Feast may begin." 

Blaise looked triumphantly at Draco, "See, short." 

"Oh, and you're always right, aren't you?" 

"For the most part, yes I am always right. Glad to see that someone's finally got it straight."

* * *

It always took a little while, but by the second week of return the school was back into its formal system of classes, all the students now falling back into schedule. Friday's last classes had ended only a few short minutes ago and Ginny walked from the Charms classroom with Gabrielle and Lynda. They didn't get far before Colin joined along with them. 

"Gin, do you know if Harry's having any Quidditch tryouts this weekend?" Colin asked, looking over to her. 

Ginny shrugged, why was she going to know? Everyone seemed to have this crazy idea that she and Harry were some sort of best friends, when in actual fact she rarely talked with him. "I have no idea Colin, why?"

"We were going to run a pre-Quidditch type of article in the school paper this year, being in Gryffindor I'm supposed to talk to Harry."

"Aren't you just the photographer Colin?" Lynda asked. "I thought Jenna from Ravenclaw had started it because she loved writing and had asked you to help her get the paper going because you like taking pictures."

"Well, that's how it was last year, but she asked a member from each House to talk to their Quidditch Captains and see what they felt about the upcoming season. I'm supposed to have talked to Harry by tomorrow afternoon." 

"I suggest you talk to him then," Quin said, flicking her long dark hair over her shoulder. 

"The seventh years just had Transfiguration," Ginny informed. "You could try to find him now, if you wanted." 

Colin ran off, presumably heading for McGonagall's classroom where he might possibly come across Harry. Gabrielle shook her head after him as he left without saying goodbye, both Ginny and Lynda giggled. 

The three girls continued their way down to the main level of the castle, where they could then get to anywhere they wanted to be, right now the Gryffindor Common Room to set down their belongings. Nearing the staircase heading to the dungeons, Ginny looked down the hallway to once again see Blaise Zabini, who she hadn't seen since the train ride back. She looked him over, from head to foot and sighed inwardly. She couldn't believe that she might actually be falling for a Slytherin. 

"Gin?" Gabrielle said, causing Ginny to quickly turn her head towards the two girls she was walking with.

"Yeah?"

"Were you paying attention at all?" Lynda asked. 

"Not really."

"Then what, my friend, were you paying attention to?" Lynda gasped then as Quin jabbed her hard in the side. She then nodded her head in the direction of the group of seventh year Slytherins. Rubbing her side, Lynda looked over to them. 

"Gin, you better not like Malfoy," Quin said scornfully as if she were Ginny's mother. "I mean, sure he's good to look at, but he has such an attitude and a high class appeal about him, it's almost repulsive." She then glared over at the four males, the female portion of the Slytherins having just walked away.

"I do not like Draco Malfoy," Ginny said, hushed slightly as they rounded the corner, heading away from Malfoy and his gang of Slytherins. "Honestly, where do you get an idea quite like that?"

"You were watching him Miss Weasley."

"Oh pish-posh Lynda, I was not. You have no idea who or what I was looking at, or what was going through my head. I had just fallen into aimless thought, I do not like Draco Malfoy."

"Then why do you keep saying that? Denial?" Quin teased, a grand smirk across her cheeks.

"No, I'm getting my point across. Now, if you both wouldn't be so kind as dropping the subject matter." Ginny walked away from her two friends then, not allowing them to continue pestering her about Malfoy. Her, liking Draco Malfoy? That'll be the day. 

"Gin, we didn't finish with our conversation!" Lynda said, coming into their dorm to find Ginny sitting on her bed, deeply immersed into a book.

"Yes Lynda, we did."

"No, I really don't think we did," Quin followed the dirty blonde into the dorm and shut the door behind her. "You do have a thing for him, don't you?"

Looking up over the pages of her book, Ginny gave them both a very blank look. "I do not like Malfoy, end of discussion." She looked back to her book and continued to read, not really absorbing the words.

"Are you really going to tell us that Gin?" Quin demanded, taking a seat on the edge of Ginny's four poster bed. "We saw you watching him, you were ignoring us completely, you were too absorbed in Mister Draco Malfoy." 

She shook her head with out looking up from the book, "That is not what it was Quinlan, it was not that at all." She gave a satisfactory 'hmph' at the end of her statement, and with that she added, "And you know that."

"I don't know that," she hissed through barely open lips and received a glare from Ginny. 

Ginny decided then she was going to drop the conversation, she did not want to have to listen to her two friends' false accusations about the idea that she may be attracted to that slimy git, Malfoy. What absurd idea was that? Ginny, possibly being attracted to someone such as that - never. She could admit that he wasn't a shabby looking guy, but the second he opened his mouth ruined just about anything he had going for himself. 

"Suit yourself Gin," Quin shrugged and she left the dorm with Lynda, heading down to the Common Room, where there was most likely a gathering of other Gryffindors for them to mingle with. Ginny, on the other hand, stayed in the dorm, and moved from her four poster, to the armchair by the fire. She curled in it, bringing her knees to her chest, and once more, like usual falling into the world of Middle-Earth.

'Draco Malfoy,' she found herself thinking, 'what are the two of them even thinking about?' She rolled back her shoulders in discontempt, and gave a quick head shake. 'Where did Gabrielle even come up with that remote thought?' she asked herself, holding her page between her thumb and index finger. Her thoughts then drifted to earlier that afternoon, when Gabrielle and Lynda had first come up with the idea that she was swooning over the Slytherin Quidditch Captain. 

Then she realized, they had mistaken who it was she had been eyeing. Malfoy had been standing next to Blaise at the time when her two friends had spotted her checking over who they thought was Malfoy, but they indeed had been wrong. Another thought then hit Ginny, she had been looking over Blaise, she hadn't admitted it at the time, but now that she was thinking back to it, she had been eyeing a Slytherin. Her friends had assumed she had been scanning Malfoy, but no, it was Blaise who she was interested. 'Oh God,' Ginny thought, she hadn't even been interested in any other guy since Harry. 'Why Slytherin? Why? And older at that too. My Ginny you do pick out the interesting guys.' It wasn't that she wanted Blaise, more that she found him to be very exciting eye candy, but that was still not the point here. 

Try as she might Ginny could not sit there, alone in that warm dormitory, and put those thoughts for her mind. She had tried to jump into her book, but even the adventures of Gimli, Legolas and Aragorn couldn't keep her mind off the previous hours, off Blaise, and off all of what Gabrielle and Lynda had accused of her. 'Dammit,' she said, finally giving up and put the book back in her trunk, ontop of her texts. She exited the dorm and turned to head to the Common Room. 

It was still early in the night, the sun just starting to set now, and she was thankful that she had grabbed her cloak, for she couldn't stand the idea of staying inside the castle much longer. She headed out to the yard, passed Hagrid's hut, and stood near the lake, looking out over its waters. '

"Hey Gin," came a voice from behind her. 

Ginny turned with a jump and looked up into Harry's emerald green eyes. "Oh, Harry ... hi." Harry nodded and stroked a hand through his messy, untamable hair. "What are you doing here?" she asked, tucking a strand of auburn hair behind her ear and crossing one foot behind the other, in a sort of nervous fashion. Ever since that day, early in the summer vacation, she never liked being alone with Harry. Anytime it had happened at the Burrow, she had been able to avoid it with out too much suspicion, but now she couldn't easily get out of this situation. 

"I was heading in from the tryout when I saw you coming down here. I thought I'd come and not leave you all to your lonesome." 

She smiled weakily and looked to the ground beneath her feet, it was damp from the evening moisture that lingered still in the air. "How did that go?" she asked after a moment's quiet.

"The tryout? It went well, Gryffindor has only two positions to fill, but they still are important positions, like all the rest. We shall see what it comes down to." Harry looked out over the lake, the sun now only minutes from setting below the treeline. "I think it is time I should be escorting the young miss back to the castle before it gets late and passed curfew." He looked down to Ginny.

Still feeling awkward about the situation that was force upon her, she did all she could and smiled courteously, not knowing exactly what there was she to say. She headed back to the castle with him, and in turn to their House Common Room, neither speaking all the way.

"Look Gin, there is a reason as to why I came out to see you," Harry started, his voice sounding cracked and nervous. 

Ginny's gut dropped about three feet, as she knew exactly what conversation this was leading to. "Harry-"

"Let me talk," he interrupted, the two standing at the bottom of the staircase leading to the dormitories. "You may think you have an idea of what this is about, but I don't think you do. You're probably thinking that this relates back to what I said to you during the summer holiday, and in a way it does. I know you've been avoiding me because of what I told you, and I realize now that I should've never said anything to you-"

"No, it was good that you came forward with what you needed to say."

"Yes, but it still didn't get me what I wanted. It did, however, get me to thinking, and ..." he trailed off, trying to gather his thoughts and place them in some sort of order he could say to her.

"Harry, we don't need to have this conversation now," she started to head up the stairs. "Goodnight."

"Night Gin," he wished as she headed up the stairs to her dorm. 

Standing on the second stair, she turned around and looked at him, giving him an odd, comforting sort of smile. She finished her flight up the stairs and went to bed, lying there, staring up at the ceiling. She didn't really care what it was that Harry had had to say to her, she simply couldn't be bothered with him anymore, she just couldn't. Nor did she really want to deal with her two friends who thought she fancied that prat of a Slytherin. Sometimes Ginny wished that life would deal her hand of cards that she actually wanted to play, not the usually riff-raff that she was often stuck with. Sighing heavily, she closed her golden eyes and feel almost immediately into a deep sleep. 

  
  


A/n: New story on the go here, I think it's a fair improvement from the last, and might actually have a plot this time, quite frankly I really can't say if I knew where that other story was off to. I still am a fan of Blaise Zabini, and always will be, and I guess we shall just have to see exactly where it is this fic is going. Blaise will become an important character and he will start to develop later one. 

If you read this, drop me a line and tell me all you thought, be greatly appreciated. Thanks then

-Lizi


	2. An Acidic Question

A/n: I believe a disclaimer is in order as I forgot that in the first chapter *grins guiltly* Bad mistake on the author's part.

Disclaimer: Harry Potter and all afflicted parts of the series belong to JK Rowling, Warner Bros and all the publishers involved and what not. I am producing no money from this nor do the characters, settings, etc. belong to me. Any Lord of the Rings references belong to JRR Tolkien and all publishers involved. This series is also not that of mine.

Chapter Two: An Acidic Question

Defense Against the Dark Art was clearly not an exciting class. Just as every year promised there was a new teacher, Professor Stanley, and she was dull; to say the very least. She was even worse than Lockhart, Ginny's first Dark Arts professor, who had at least given the class something to laugh at, be it his own stupidity. No, Stanley was just an all around boring witch. 

She was slightly monotonous and spoke in many 'uhs', 'ums' and 'wells'. She stuck mainly to reading from the textbook and her assignments were almost always straight reading and answering questions. Worse was the common knowledge that the sixth year material was supposed to be interesting. The course focussed on the studies of wizard transformations into such things as werewolves and vampires. But no, she had to make the interesting year dry.

"Take out your books and turn to page eighty-nine," Stanley said with barely any fluctuation of her tone. She sat on a stool infront of the almost asleep class and pushed her large round glasses up the bridge of her nose. "Werewolves, as you studied in your third year, are often considered as being highly dangerous," she started at a flat level and persisted to drown on.

"Are you going Saturday afternoon?" Lynda asked quietly while Stanley continued to read on. She leant in closer to Quinlan and Ginny and flipped to the next page of the book.

Quin shrugged. "I suppose so," she muttered. "Support my House especially when they're up against Slytherin." With that a smirk spread across the brunette's face and she turned her chocolate eyes to Ginny. "Tough choice on who to cheer for, eh Gin?"

"Gryffindor, Quin. Really, what do you take me for?" Ginny skimmed the page as Stanley tediously read from the book. She made it appear as if she was following along.

"But what about the Slytherins ... and Malfoy?" Her smirk turned into a childish and sincere grin. 

Ginny didn't reply for this was not the place to do so in the manner she wished. Ignoring Quin's comment and Lynda's snicker, Ginny followed with Stanley's reading. When it came time to start on the homework Ginny did just that and never once talked to her two friends.

"I do not, repeat do not in anyway like him," Ginny exclaimed, putting much emphasis on the 'do not'. The class had ended and the three girls were now feet from the room, making their way to History of Magic. She had jumped at them before either girl ever had the chance to say anything.

"If that's what you're going to stick with," Lynda teased from one side of Ginny.

"But we both know the truth," Quinlan added from Ginny's otherside.

Surrounded by the two peskiest flies she could know, Ginny shook her head. She refused to let their torments get to her. Simple as that. She knew she didn't like that git of a Malfoy and that's all that really mattered. If Quin and Lynda choose to believe otherwise, frankly that just wasn't Ginny's problem. They could believe whatever they wanted. 

"Come on Gin, you know we're just teasing you," Lynda said, slightly concerned at the look on Ginny's face. It was a look that plainly told Lynda that Ginny was not amused with their jokes.

"Yeah, we know you can't possibly like such a person," Quin clued in and added. She too could see Ginny's unamused expression. "Gin, it's Malfoy. He's only the person who heckles you and your family the worst out of anyone. Do you really think we'd be as moronic as to actually believe you have a thing for him?"

Ginny glared over at her friend. Her eyes told Quin that yes they were moronic enough to believe such a fantasy. Or at least that's what Ginny thought. 

"We aren't that ignorant," Lynda continued. "We know you don't like him. It's just fun to badger you about it. Lord knows there's no use badgering Quin about Colin anymore. They seem to be on a steady pace right now. We just moved from bugging Quin to bugging you."

Ginny narrowed her eyes even more. "Fine, it's not like a care. But can you drop the Malfoy thing? Honestly, it's not even that funny. It's aggravating and quite frankly it's getting on my nerves. For you both to have even presumed that really gets to me. So we're going to drop it as of now." She made her point very clearly and gave both girls a quick glance. 

"Fine, fine. Whatever you want Gin," Quinlan shook her head. "You know you are too stubborn for your own good sometimes."

Ginny beamed with victory. "I know." Of course she knew she was stubborn. She always had been and her mother used to make it quite a point at pointing this out to her. But that's what came with being the youngest and the only girl in a family of six siblings. She had to build up a fairly strong defense for all the tormenting she got from her brothers in younger years. 

The three girls, following close behind the other Gryffindors of their year, entered Binns' classroom. History of Magic was the final class for the sixth years Thursday afternoons. The second most boring class followed the most boring. Thursday afternoons were definitely not an exciting time for this lot of students.

* * *

"Are you coming or not Quin? Let's go!" Ginny yelled up the stairs in the direction of her dorm. It was Saturday afternoon, only a quarter of an hour until the Quidditch game would start. Ginny walked down a half flight of stairs to meet with Lynda. "What takes her so long?"

Lynda shrugged and picked Chester up off the floor. She stroked the top of his black head. "I really don't know."

Ginny pulled on her black cloak, leaving it unfastened and sat in a maroon armchair. Her patience slowly became less and less. Lynda dropped Chester and took a seat on the arm of Ginny's chair. The cat landed on the floor with a soft thump and snuck up the stairs passed Quin.

"Sorry," Quin gave a little yawn and fastened two of the silver clasps on her cloak. She then rushed the two from the already empty Common Room.

  
  


"Where have you three been?" Colin asked as the girls approached him and Rock Henderson - a fellow Gryffindor sixth year - up in the pitch stands. "The game's about to begin you know."

"Blame your girlfriend here," Ginny mumbled and passed the two boys, taking a seat three spots from Colin. Lynda took up a seat next to Gin and Quin between Lynda and Colin. "Quin took bloody forever to get going."

"I already apologized near to twenty times on the way here. What else do you want me to do? Plus, the game hasn't started yet, so we didn't miss anything."

A whistle blew and almost an immediate silence feel upon the crowd. The two teams - Gryffindor in red, Slytherin in emerald - flew in on either side of Madam Hooch. 

"Welcome!" came the amplified voice of Allen Jordan. He was Lee Jordan's younger brother, a fifth year Hufflepuff. He had taken over Lee's job when Lee had graduated from Hogwarts. "Welcome," he repeated, "to the season opening Quidditch match! Hoping for quite a game from the school's leading teams; Gryffindor and Slytherin!"

All four houses present cheered and hollared. Three out of the four hoping that Gryffindor would come away today with the win and send Slytherin into a streak of defeat. 

"If you would all direct your eyes to the lower pitch this game can get underway!"

  
  


"Blaise, where in hell's name have you been?"

Blaise had just stepped onto the pitch for some pregame warm up when Draco approached, hovering a few feet from the ground. An obvious anger was apparent in his voice and Blaise looked around to see seven blurs of red and five more of green. He went to speak but Draco cut him off.

"Never mind. Get in the air mater, let's get this game going." He quickly raked a hand through his hair, a sign that he was loosing patience and becoming frustrated. 

A half hour of warm up passed when Madam Hooch stepped to the middle of the pitch and blew her whistle. To one side of her Blaise and the other six Slytherin members lowered to the ground. Potter and the other Gryffindors came to the ground on Hooch's other side. 

"Keep it fair," Hooch advised and her amber yellow eyes slanted more to the Slytherins than the Gryffindors. "I want a clean game."

"It's as if she's accused us of cheating without even playing," Draco muttered to Blaise. 

"Bring it in boys," she beckoned and both Draco and Potter stepped forward, closer to her.

The two Captains glared at each other for a minute, never breaking eye contact. Draco lowered his brow and shook his head at the Boy-Who-Lived. The two boys took another step in and put out a hand. 

"Have a nice game Potter," Draco spat, grasping Potter's hand. A half smile came to his lips.

"Look for red Malfoy, Lord knows you can never find the golden Snitch."

"Let's get 'em boys," Draco said after he returned to his team. He mounted his broom. "Zabini I don't want anything getting through those hoops. You got me?" Hooch then blew on her whistle and the game got on the go.

Gryffindor took the first ten points, Blaise having just missed the Quaffle. Slytherin, however, was able to score a swift twenty points shortly after. That put them in the lead by ten.

"Alex!" Blaise heard Potter yell from up ahead. The Gryffindor Keeper looked across the field at his Captain. "Watch for anything coming up from underneath!" Potter yelled across the field, giving warning his younger team member. He then quickly spun upside down as a Bludger was struck his way.

  
  


Ginny wasn't a big Quidditch fan. The sport didn't really amuse her in any form of the word amuse. Of course she didn't mind watching a match every once in awhile and she came to show support for her House. This year just happened to have an added attraction that Ginny had never bothered to pay attention to before. That definitely helped to make the match more interesting and added to the likilhood of her coming to future games.

"Zabini, I don't want anymore in!" Ginny heard Malfoy call. She looked to see the green Seeker circle above his Keeper. The Quaffle had just gotten passed Blaise for the third time, bringing the Gryffindor score closer to Slytherin's. Malfoy didn't seem to be too amused. 

"What do you think I'm doing Draco, letting them in on purpose?!" 

Ginny grinned faintly as she heard Blaise's retort and she could just make out his distant eyes narrowing at his Captain. And she thought he was attractive on a regular day basis. Put him in that emerald Quidditch uniform and on that broomstick and he looked even better. Ginny couldn't believe she was falling for a seventh year Slytherin.

"And Malfoy's got it!" Allen spoke up. "Slyth- Slytherin won," he stuttered in slight shock and disappointment with the outcome of the match. "They beat Gryffindor."

Ginny looked to see a disappointed Harry and a triumphant Malfoy coming in to land. She had stopped paying attention awhile ago and had completely missed Harry and Malfoy's race for the Snitch. The golden ball now glinted between Malfoy's fingers and he wore an expression of great pride on his face. 

"Bloody hell, I can't believe we just lost," Dean Thomas spoke a couple rows up from where the sixth years were.

"And to those damn Slytherins," Seamus Finnigan mumbled crossly.

"We've never lost against Slytherin once," Neville Longbottom informed. "That marks Harry's first loss to Malfoy."

"Malfoy's not even a worthy Seeker."

"Of course he's not Seamus," said Dean. "He's no Captain either. They just have Zabini on their team. That's what's going to get them anywhere. He's a bloody good Keeper."

'He's bloody good looking too,' Ginny thought to herself. She stood from where she was sitting and followed the other's from the row. They started on their slow descend from the pitch stadium. A deviant smile lingered on her lips and in her eyes.

"What are you smiling over?" Lynda asked looking over her shoulder at Ginny. "It can't be over the outcome of the game, unless you actually wanted Slytherin to win.

Ginny's smirk widened and she looked forward to Lynda. "No it's not the outcome of the match. It's nothing," she lied and backed the shorter hairs from her face.

"It's nothing or it's none of my business?"

"It's none of your business," Ginny agreed with Lynda and exited the pitch. "I can't believe it's already Hallowe'en next weekend," she said changing the subject at hand.

"Ain't it the truth," Quin chimed in from ahead, her fingers interlaced with Colin's. "Two months already. It'll be Christmas before we know it."

"And then we'll be onto our last year here." 

"Don't even bring that up now Lynda. It's not something I really want to think of." Ginny said and halted, looking over her shoulder as her name was called.

"Seven tonight?" a boy with sandy brown hair called to her. He was about to head up a set of stairs with a group of Hufflepuffs. It was assumed that that was the direction of their Common Room.

"Alright Ben, I'll see you then." She herself headed up the staircase that lead in the direction of Gryffindor Tower.

"Date tonight Gin?" Ron teased as he and Hermione passed.

"Shut up Ron," she shot at him. Her eyes followed her brother up the stairs. "He's a bloody nuissance that one," she grumbled to Lynda. "Give me Fred, George and a bucket of Filbuster's Fireworks anyday."

Lynda cracked into a smile. "Ah, he's just being a protective older brother. Doesn't want to see his little sister's heart broken by any mean boys."

"Oh and Ben's going to rip my heart into thousands of pieces while we work on our Ancient Runes assignment."

The blonde shrugged and ducked into the room. "You never know. You just never do know," she said, a small hint of sarcasm noticeable on her tongue.

  
  


"Nice catch there Draco," Blaise said, landing next to the Slytherin Captain and gave him a congratulatory clap on the shoulder. 

Draco smiled and picked his broom up from the ground. He ran a hand over his head, the sun glint on his silver-blonde hair. He gave the now still Snitch to Madam Hooch and was forced to once more shake Potter's hand.

The Slytherins cleaned up, changed and went back to their dungeon Common Room. "What were you doing that made you late anyways?" Draco asked stepping into the room. He carried his cloak over his shoulder and looked about. Vince and Greg sat infront of the room's principle fireplace along with Pansy Parkinson, Melanie Nott, Millicent Bulstrode and Jacynthe Moon. 

"Nothing really." Blaise approached his six classmates. He sat in the empty armchair right next to the fire and looked to Draco who was now sitting on a green couch opposite him beside the ebony haired Nott. Draco gave Blaise a look that stated 'Oh please. As if I'll believe that load of dung.' "No really Draco. I uh, feel asleep and woke up a tad late."

Draco shook his head and a blonde strand of hair feel into his eyes. He brushed it away with a long finger. "I don't want to see it again Zabini. You are to be on time for matches, just like everyone else. Got that?"

"Yes sir, Mister Captain, sir," Blaise teased. "I promise I will never, ever be late again. Not once more."

"I don't think I'd really want you as my Captain Draco," said Jacynthe. She twirled long, light brown hair between her index and middle finger.

"That makes two of us then, doesn't it? I wouldn't want you on my team."

Jacynthe dropped the lock of hair and gave him an obscene gesture. "You are so rude Draco Malfoy." She stood and sauntered off to the girls dormitory. Not long after the remaining three females left the Common Room. Melanie joining Jacynthe upstairs; Millicent and Pansy leaving the dungeon area.

"Girls," Vince muttered and his look followed Melanie as she walked up the stairs. 

"Honestly," Greg agreed. "Sometimes they can be alright and proper, the next time I don't really care to be anywhere near them."

Draco went to add to the conversation but he paused noticing the unusual silence of the Common Room. Blaise looked around to see what means had passed for the quiet. He looked to the entrance and saw the Potionsmaster and Head of Slytherin House. Professor Snape took another step in and cleared his throat.

"I wish to speak with the members of the Quidditch team in my office. All of you. Ten minutes." With that Snape whirled around and left, his cloak flying out behind him. Blaise exchanged a nervous look with Draco. Neither boy knew what this was about, but it didn't sound to be anything good.

"What the hell does Snape want?" Draco asked Blaise as he and the rest of the team exited the dungeon and headed for Snape's office near to his Potions classroom.

  
  


"What is this about Professor?" Blaise questioned, entering the office.

"Until furthur notice the match you have all just played has been declared as a tie." Snape's voice showed only a slight hint of anger, otherwise it was as cold as ever.

"What?!" Jonathan Dovenhouser exclaimed, his eyes becoming wide and looking as if they were about to burst. 

"Gryffindor has accused you of cheating-"

"Bloody hell!" Draco said loudly, interrupting Snape's explanation as to what was going on. "What is the means of that? Potter can't admit defeat, that's what his god damn problem is."

"Keep it civil Mister Malfoy," Snape advised. His already pale skin looked even paler in the shade of his office and next to his black hair and robes. "Be that so, Madam Hooch and Professors Dumbledore and Flitwick will be reviewing the match. The outcome of the game will be deteremined dependant on their decision."

"Bloody hell," Draco angrily cursed again. He knew his team had committed no such foul; at least he hoped to hell that they hadn't. Slytherin's future in this season depended on them having not cheated and Draco knew they hadn't. 

"Don't we at least get to know how we cheated - if be so?" Blaise asked curiously. He wanted to know what accusation Potter had come up with to cause this dilemma. It couldn't possibly be the truth, there was just no way possible.

"I was not told that. Be that as it is Gryffindor has still accused you of the crime. If you are found guilty that may mean a season suspension for Slytherin." Snape paused and took a seat behind his large desk. He crossed one arm over the other. "I do hope you haven't cheated." His eyes narrowed particularily at Draco. "Supper is near, you may all leave. I will be sure to inform you of the outcome of this."

"If it comes out that any of you cheated you'll be suspended from all future playing," Draco threatened with great emphasis on all, suggesting that the perpatrator wouldn't see another game of Quidditch as long as they attended Hogwarts. The team headed to the Great Hall. "I bloody well better not here of any cheating on my team. We will not win like that."

As Draco gave his angry lecture to the team, Blaise prayed that Slytherin would not be found cheating. That would for sure knock the House out of all runnings for any cup, Quidditch and House alike. Slytherin wouldn't have a chance left in the world.

At supper, about halfway through, Dumbledore grabbed everyone's attention by hitting his knife to his goblet. He then rose, as he'd done the night of the Sorting Ceremony and told the school of the day's mishap.

Blaise hung his head in shame. He couldn't believe the team would even be accused of cheating. Just because they had the reputation of being cheaters, didn't mean that Slytherins were. It was only a false judgement. But actually having the Gryffindors call them on it was not a pleasant thought. Blaise looked passed Draco and narrowed his eyes into a menacing slant. Three tables over, across from a head of long auburn hair sat Potter. He fixed his gaze passed the redhead and locked his stare on the opposing team Captain. 

'Curse that boy,' he thought angrily, tightly clenching his hand to his fist. He watched as Dumbledore finished his announcement and took a seat. 'Slytherin didn't cheat, Potter knows that.'

A/n: And? What do you all think? 

  
  



	3. Up Against the Wall

Chapter Three: Up Against the Wall

Dumbledore had sat down not that long ago. Ginny stared across the table and a seat over at the messy haired boy she'd once swooned over. Had he really caught the Slytherins cheating? What on Earth was going on? She ate quietly and surveyed the seventh year, wanting to know all the hidden details behind this little incident. What had Slytherin done?

"POTTER!" her thoughts were suddenly disturbed and she spun her head left to watch a tanned boy approach; the rest of the Gryffindors, and probably the whole school, had their eyes on the forthcoming boy. He stopped at the empty seat to Ginny's right and put both his hands on it, gripping its back firmly. "What is this? What the bloody hell do you think you're calling?" he demanded and Harry looked over his black rimmed glasses at Blaise.

"We're calling Slytherin on cheating," Harry answered as if Blaise was a bit asinine. 

From the corner of her eye Ginny watched Blaise's hands tighten around the chair's back; his knuckles whitening ever so slightly. "You know Slytherin didn't cheat Potter," he spat Harry's name with much venom. "You just can't handle losing to us, can you?"

"Gryffindor wouldn't have lost had your team not cheated." Harry was laying his responses very calmly and cooly, making it seem like Blaise was the bad guy and as if this trivial argument didn't bother him.

"You know we didn't cheat. You know it." His dark eyes narrowed and he challenged Harry, releasing his grasp on the chair. 

"Mister Zabini," came Dumbledore's raspy voice and all eyes turned to the aged Headmaster, "please take your seat."

Blaise looked from Dumbledore back to Harry and pulled out the empty chair. Not finished with he had to say, Blaise took a seat. Ginny put two fingers to her temple and turned her head in the opposite direction; she could feel colour rising to her cheeks.

"Withdraw the call Potter," his voice was still threatening but much more hushed. "You know it's false."

"Leave Zabini," Harry's voice matched Blaise's in volume. "We'll be leaving the call in until it's found that you cheated. If your team has nothing to hide than why are you so worried?"

Blaise's eyes darkened even more at Harry's snide comment. "Because I can't stand sore losers and Potter you're the epitome of that."

"No, you just can't bear the idea that I'm right. Slytherin had to cheat to beat Gryffindor."

Angrily Blaise pushed back from the table and stood. "For Christ's sake Potter, you know that's not true." His voice was again loud and it was heard in all corners of the Hall.

"Mister Zabini," Dumbledore's voice boomed with a firmness no one knew he had in him. "That is the end of your heated conversation. Either return to the Slytherin Table or leave this Hall immediately."

Blaise ambled off, away from the Gryffindors. He didn't return to the Slytherins on the opposite side of the Hall, but made way for the grand doors, going to leave. Only one door was open and as he went to walk through it he pounded his fist upon the other. Any eyes that hadn't been on him before then, were definitely on him now. He walked out and slowly the students returned to their own businesses. 

Ginny looked back up at Harry, running a hand over her head and pulling the auburn hair from her eyes. She had to wonder who was telling the truth. Was it Harry? Had the Slytherin Quidditch team really cheated to win against their rivals? Or had it been Blaise? Had the Gryffindors come up with a fake call because they couldn't cope with the knowledge that Slytherin had beaten them fair and square? 

"Zabini's just upset that Slytherin was finally caught cheating," Ron mumbled, his mouth full of food. 

"Ron, chew, swallow, speak," Ginny said pathetically, narrowing her eyes at her older brother. There were times when his actions were just plain rude and disgusting.

Gulping down the bolus of food in his mouth Ron spoke again. "Slytherin has been cheating for years now. It's just that nobody's been able to prove it - until now."

What was that? Ginny searched Harry's eyes. The moment Ron had finished speech she had detected an odd look come to his freakishly green eyes. But what was it? Was it uncertainty? If that's what it was, Harry was hiding something. Ginny felt like there was much more to this whole thing than Harry was letting onto. She hoped, for Gryffindors sake that he wasn't lying to win over Slytherin. But he couldn't - that just didn't seem like something Harry Potter would do. Or was it?

"Where are you off to?" Quin asked as Ginny stood from the table. Her chestnut hair was in two braids pouring over her shoulders. 

"I have some things I have to do before going to the library to work on Ancient Runes." Ginny's answer was simple and very mellow. She shrugged her shoulders and walked from the Great Hall. She didn't really have anything she had to tend to before meeting with Ben, she just needed to be on her own, somewhere quiet. She also needed to know what the hell was going on. But that didn't really seem like it was information she was easily going to get. 

  
  


How was he going to find out the truth? Blaise paced the hallway. He hadn't gone very far when he'd left the Hall. He'd marched the hallway and come to stop just before a tucked away staircase by a painting of a great, golden griffin. It was a dark corridor and Blaise had begun pacing; he'd take five steps, turn and take another five steps before only turning to repeat the action.

He needed to know what was behind Potter's accusations. There was no way Gryffindor had caught Slytherin cheating, because Slytherin hadn't cheated. The older team members knew better than that and wouldn't cheat - it wasn't their style to win that way. The younger players couldn't have pulled it off even if they wanted to. They didn't have the experience or the knowledge to successfully cheat and get away with it. Blaise just wanted to know what was behind all this, but how would he get that? Only the Gryffindor team would hold that information and hell would have to freeze over before they told what this was about. If only there was a way.

Friday. That's when he needed to know by. He had to find out some way to prove Gryffindor was lying by Friday. October thirtieth, the day before the Hallowe'en Feast, Dumbledore said he would announce the outcome of his, Hooch and Flitwick's decision. How could he possibly come up with that proof by then? He needed some inside link to get him the information he wanted. He paused. A faint stepping of feet could be heard coming toward him. 

Blaise watched a girl with flaming red hair slowly make her way down the corridor. Ginny Weasley. Perhaps she knew something about this; perhaps Potter had confided in the Weasley girl and had told her what was really going on. He stood there and waited. If he were lucky, maybe she would let him in on the information and provide excellent grounds to prove that Potter was fibbing about this cheating call of his. 

"Weasley," he acknowledged and the redhead jumped in surprise, looking up at him with absurd shock, "can I have a word?"

He knew she was confused but he took her by the elbow and pulled her down an even darker hall off to the side. He stopped and released his hand from her. She looked to him with perplexed golden eyes and crossed an arm over her stomach, leaving the other by her side. Blaise lent up against the wall. "Listen," he started softly, "I know that Potter's call is a hoax; I know Slytherin didn't cheat. And I doubt you'll tell me anything, but has Potter said anything to you about this? Anything at all?" 

Ginny tilted her head and furrowed her brow, her mouth turning in a half-sided grace. "No," she brought her hand to her hip, "why would he?"

"Why wouldn't he?" Blaise shrugged, stepping away from the wall. "I thought that perhaps he would confide in you. I need to prove him wrong. I've got to show Dumbledore that his call his a fake."

"Harry hasn't told me anything, and it's not likely he will -" She looked from his nose, where she'd been looking instead of his eyes, to the floor. "- even if Slytherin cheated."

Was that a good comment or a bad comment? Blaise was confused and narrowed his black eyes. What had she meant? Did she believe that Slytherin had cheated or was that a comment that showed she believed otherwise? "Do you think we're innocent?"

Ginny looked back up to him, catching his eyes this time. Her cheeks were a shade of flushed pink. "I don't know, but I'm not sure if I believe Harry's telling the truth." She was not telling him this. He was a Slytherin, the enemy. How could she even think of going against Gryffindor like this? But then Ginny realized all she'd told him was the truth. She didn't know if what Harry was saying was the truth, and right now she doubted all that he told her. 

Eyes widening Blaise smirked. She was a suspicious about Potter, which gave him sign to hope that maybe things would turn out to benefit Slytherin. Now if only he could get something to show Dumbledore this. She went to walk away but Blaise put his hand around her wrist and she rotated to look at him; first at the hand around her wrist, next to his face. "Ginny if you do hear anything, please you have to help us out."

"Why would I do that?" came her irritated question. "Why would I possibly go against my House and tell Slytherin anything?"

She had a point, and there his hopes just washed away. The likelihood of her telling him anything seemed next to nil. "Because you know it's the truth," his soft voice pleaded with her. 

The sixth year shook her head and pulled her hand from him. She turned and hotly left, disappearing around the corner and up that tucked away staircase by the griffin up to Gryffindor Tower. 

She got to her dorm, empty as everyone was done for dinner, and closed the door. She lent on it and sank down it to the floor. She bent her knees and perched her elbows on them, supporting her head with her hands. She'd known Harry for a long time now, six years, and she'd known Blaise for all of the ten minutes they'd just talked. However, she couldn't help but lean to believe in Blaise's story over Harry's. 

There had been a sort of serenity in his eyes that she hadn't seen in Harry's. Harry's green eyes had been full to the brim with a mixed look of deceit, reservation and confusion. Ginny doubted that he'd been telling the whole truth, it just didn't seem plausible. But Blaise, for the brief moment she'd actually looked to his eyes there was something different. His eyes had been holding moral and certainty. She wasn't sure if she was just gullible because of her crush for him, or if she actually believed him. There was just something about it that lead her to credit Blaise with the truth over Harry. 

"I need to find out," she whispered aloud and ran her hands from the sides of her face through her hair and coming to rest at the back of her neck. She pulled lightly on her neck in frustration. Ginny wanted to find out for herself who was telling the truth. She wanted to know if she could still trust Harry, or if this affair had just spoiled all that. One of the two boys was lying; one of the two teams wasn't telling the truth, which one it was Ginny desired to know. And in order to get that she'd need to talk to Harry.

  
  


Returning from the library near eight-thirty, Ginny entered the Common Room and confronted her two friends. "Have you seen Harry?"

"Hi to you to," Quin shot sarcastically, peeling her eyes from her Divination textbook to look to Ginny's face. "I think he's out, why?"

"I need to speak with him." She wasn't about to let in on the finer details of what exactly she needed to talk to him about. So they could forget about it.

"About?"

Ginny knew Quin was going to ask. "Nothing," she rushed and quickly fled up the stairs to her dorm. She deposited her bag and Ancient Runes book only to pick up the black hard covered book from of the table to the bedside. She took a swift drink from the glass that was there and returned to the Common Room. She didn't go to the sixth years as she normally would've done, but instead took a seat in the armchair closest to the portrait hole. There she would wait until Harry came back, but in the meantime she submersed herself in Tolkein's second book, almost being finished. 

When the first person entered the Common Room, she looked up to see his tousled hair and glasses. "Harry," she called smoothly, motioning with a finger for him to approach her, "we need to talk." She stood next to him, feeling rather short beside his towering figure, and brought him to a barren back corner where she sat on the maroon couch. Harry cautiously sat next to her, eyeing her suspiciously. He gave her a look that urged her to continue and took of his cloak, placing it on the table in front. 

"Harry, what's behind this whole call you've placed on Slytherin? They couldn't've really cheated, could they?" she asked innocently, making it seem as if she didn't accuse him of lying. 

"Both James and Riley have claimed that if I brought the call forward to Hooch, they'd be able to supply the evidence." He began fumbling with the sleeve of his robes. 

"You're trusting your two Beaters?" she asked in disbelief. Common knowledge brought her to the understanding that even though Harry's two Beaters did have Quidditch talent, they weren't all that trustworthy. "Do you even know what that evidence is Harry?"

Harry looked away from her golden eyes and to the black material of his school uniform in his hands. "Listen Gin, Gryffindor comes out of this with no worries of losing anything. Dumbledore calls in our favour we win, good for us. He calls in Slytherin's favour the outcome of the game is the same. Gryffindor's no worse off."

"But that's not my question Harry. Did Slytherin really cheat? Or are you just calling this because you can't face losing to Malfoy?" She tucked hair behind her ears. 

Harry looked to her cheeks. They no longer had the deepened freckles they did over the summer. The lack of sunshine dimmed them to a very pale, almost unseen brown. "Gin, all you need to know is that we put the call in against Slytherin. If they cheated and are caught so be it."

"But if they didn't cheat and are caught? How is that going to ride on your conscious Harry?" She became flustered with Harry's attitude toward this; it was something she'd never seen in him before. Something different. She didn't like it. 

"If it turns out in our favour then they cheated."

"But what if they didn't?" demanded Ginny sternly. 

"Are you accusing us of lying then Ginny? Are you taking Slytherin's side?"

He was pushing her buttons, Ginny didn't know if it was on purpose or accidental, but he was slowly making her more and more angry with him. "Yes Harry I am. I am accusing Gryffindor of lying. I, just like anyone else, want to see Gryffindor win and beat Slytherin, but not like that. What are you doing for Gryffindor? Lying to win?" She made a fist with her right hand, tightly squeezing her thumb, holding onto her anger. 

Finally breaking contact with her eyes, Harry looked away. His eyes had gone from a brilliant emerald when he had entered Gryffindor Tower, to the greenish hue of grey that they were now. Ginny rose from the couch, her book in hand, and went straight for her dormitory.

Sitting on her bed, Ginny violently shut the crimson coloured bed hangings, encasing herself in a cage of red material. She was ready to pull all the hairs from her head she was so upset. She put the Two Towers down and let the green and gold eye stare up at her from the bed while she seethed over the conversation she'd just had with Harry. 

He was lying, to her and to the rest of the school. He'd never right out admitted it, never said that Slytherin hadn't cheated, but that wasn't the point. He vaguely evaded it every time Ginny would bring up the question of whether the Slytherin team had really stolen the win or whether they had won it honestly. But she knew that Gryffindor wasn't telling the truth; Slytherin hadn't cheated. Ginny just didn't know if she should come forward with her knowledge or not. 

  
  


It was already Wednesday; Dumbledore would be making his call in two days time. Rare it was, but no rumours were even surfacing about what the outcome may be. All students and staff were still a bit shocked to see the call raised. Such a call had not been brought up since twenty years prior, and even before then it was rare. 

The Slytherins had two classes with the Gryffindors. Care of Magical Creatures which had taken place on Tuesday afternoon. Luckily the class was straight after lunch and only lasted a period. It hadn't been an enjoyable class, but than they rarely found Hagrid's teachings of the creatures he found interesting very enjoyable. 

The other class was Potions, the charming double period would mean that the two rival houses spent the entire afternoon together down in Snape's dungeon classroom. 

"I bloody wish Dumbledore would just tell us his damn decision and we could all get on with our lives," muttered Draco as the Slytherins made their way slowly down into the dungeon passages.

Blaise entered the classroom after Draco and took his seat next to the blonde Malfoy. "This is all a load of crap. If it's found that we cheated I will wring Potter's neck with my own hands."

"Hopefully it won't come to that," Draco said and pulled out his Potions books. "Though, we will see tomorrow what is to come of this."

"It better not wreck our bloody Hallowe'en weekend." Blaise glared acidly toward the room entrance as Potter, Granger and Weasley came in, only to take their seats at the front of the class. He bit angrily on his bottom lip, holding back all urges to say or do something out of stupidity. 

His thoughts then strayed to Ginny Weasley. She hadn't come to him with any information about what was really going on and Blaise doubted she ever would. He had doubted all along. She was a Gryffindor. She wasn't about to turn her back on her house and side with Slytherin. There had been that short moment when Blaise had seen a hope that she would, but that shattered long ago. 

"Silence," threatened Snape menacingly as he stepped into the classroom and all eyes focused on him. He was equally as upset as the Slytherins. He too was being kept in the dark until tomorrow evening as to what was going to happen. That did not make for one happy Potionsmaster.

With only a quick and brief lesson the class promptly got underway with the concoction of the Invisibility Potion. As they measured and mixed, cut and cooked, they were all scrutinized under the watchful eyes of Snape. He slowly made his rounds about the room, critising this potion, complimenting that one; giving advise to this group and heckling another. 

"Draco, Blaise," he said quietly coming to the back where the two seventh year boys were sitting and fabricating their potion, "I wish to have a discussion with you both. Please remain behind after class." He swept away without further word, the two looking at each other knowing exactly what this was to be about.

"I just wanted to wish you both good luck with tomorrow's decision." Snape didn't look up from the papers as the two approached him at his desk. "I believe that Slytherin didn't cheat, but as I have no say I cannot speak for the deciding teachers. "

"You've heard nothing, sir?" Blaise questioned curiously.

"No, only Professor Dumbledore, Professor Flitwick and Madam Hooch have any idea as to what will be said. It is unfortunate, but the way things must go. As I stated previously I do hope Slytherin is found innocent, you are my House and I must believe that you are both wise enough to have done the right thing. Good day to you both, I hope all is well tomorrow."

Draco and Blaise walked from the classroom, quietly, neither ushering a word. God how they both hoped things would turn in their favour tomorrow. How they wished that Potter would eat his own words for calling them with that bogus complaint. 

Blaise looked ahead to the darkened dungeon corridor to see a figure standing underneath one of the torches. With further analyzation he was able to conclude that it was in fact Ginny Weasley, leaning against the wall, watching the floor. Blaise felt a rush of adrenaline surge through his body as he hoped she would bring him news he wanted to hear. 

"I need to speak with you," she said as the two boys approached and she looked up at them. Blaise nodded Draco's dismissal and Ginny waited until he was out of hearing range until she next spoke. "I've been killing myself trying to figure out what to do here. I didn't know whether I should keep my mouth shut or if I should come to you, and that's why I took so long. After you spoke with me last Saturday I talked to Harry about all this ..." she trailed off, looking from his eyes down to the floor and folding both her arms over the book she was holding.

"And?" Blaise pressed on, wanting and needing for her to continue. She needed to say it; say that Potter was forging this whole thing so that Gryffindor might have a chance against Slytherin. 

"He's lying." It had taken Ginny a little while, but she finally let it out in one sigh as if of relief.

"You're certain?" Blaise's dark eyes were wide and he searched her for his answer.

Ginny stepped away from the wall, taking a step closer to him. Her eyes looked now to her hand wrapped tightly around the second of Tolkien's books. She couldn't bring herself to make eye contact with him, not for long at least. "I can't be for sure. Harry never came right out and said it. But I know," Ginny finally looked up at him, "Harry's lying, the call's a hoax."

"How can you be certain? He's never come and told you?"

Ginny looked down the hall at Blaise's questions. "You don't know him like I do. Harry doesn't need to tell me what's going on, the way he looked at me said enough."

"But is your instinct on Potter enough?"

"Listen, I know Harry's not being honest here, he can't lie straight out to me. That's why he never said that the call was the truth. That would've been lying to me. Please, just go talk to Dumbledore, tell him what I've told you. Tell him you know it's not the truth."

"He's not going to take my word for it." Blaise knew he'd need more than that, he'd need Ginny to come forward and talk to Dumbledore. 

"Try it." Ginny didn't want to go forward to Dumbledore, if this ever got out ... "If the need comes that Dumbledore won't hear you out, tell him you heard it from me. But please, I beg of you, don't use my name unless you have to. Please," she pleaded, looking cautiously to him. She could feel all that was in her shake with nerves.

"You have my word Ginny, I won't speak of you unless it comes to that. And only to Dumbledore. I stick to my word." She looked scared, but Blaise figured she had every right to be. Merlin knew what would happen to her if the Gryffindors found out she'd come to him saying that Slytherin was innocent. Her eyes looked petrified. 

"Thanks," she muttered next incoherently. Ginny fumbled with the cover of her book. 

"No, I should thank you ... and I do. You don't know what this is for us Slytherins." He gave her a court little smile and turned to leave. He didn't go to his Common Room, or to the Great Hall. Nor did he go to the school grounds, or in search of any other Slytherins. Blaise went straight to Professor Dumbledore and told him all Ginny had said. 

  
  


Ginny had this gutless feeling of guilt. Probably the fact that she'd gone to her house's rival Quidditch team and given them information that would surely wind up with Slytherin winning the Quidditch match in question had a fair deal to do with why she was feeling this way. 

The likelihood of Ginny having to speak with Dumbledore before tomorrow was quite likely. Ginny doubted that the Headmaster would only take Blaise's word. No, he would definitely need more to go on than that. She was kind of worried about that. The more people who knew she'd gone to Blaise, the more of a chance there would be that some Gryffindor would find out. What was she to do if that ever came about? Ginny doubted now if she'd made the right choice in doing what she did. But none the less she couldn't undo it now. There was no point in worrying. 

She'd just have to wait. Wait until Dumbledore asked to see her. Wait until tomorrow night when he would announce who actually won the Quidditch match. Wait until this was all over. Then she could go on; living her sixteen year old life, fussing over her course grades, having a crush on that seventeen year old boy. Everything would be able to return to the same old, same old.


	4. Far More Shocking

Chapter Four: Far More Shocking

Of course that dreaded time finally came around. Ginny found herself sitting nervously in a circular room filled with odd artifacts and gatherings. She sat in front of a large desk in an equally large chair; in the chair next to her sat Blaise. It was late Thursday night. Supper had passed and both students waited for the Headmaster to return. 

They waited a mere five minutes, probably less, for the Hogwarts Headmaster to arrive in his office. He said nothing as he entered, closed the door and sat himself in the seat behind his desk. His Phoenix, Fawkes, looked to the elder man with gleaming balls of yellow eyes as if wondering what the two students were doing here. 

"Miss Weasley," Dumbledore acknowledged, his voice low, "Blaise spoke to me yesterday and told me you had come to him with rather interesting information about the Gryffindor team."

Ginny's eyes lowered to the floor by her feet. The guilt in her stomach was like a rolling thunder storm, becoming stronger and more unbearable. But put the guilt aside and she could feel that she had indeed done the right thing. It was like she was a living juxtaposition; guilt to contrast beside her truthfulness. Ginny wasn't sure which feeling was right - or if either was. "I did Professor," she mumbled quietly.

Dumbledore shared glances between the Gryffindor sixth year and Blaise, his eyes surveying them from behind his half-moon spectacles. "Blaise tells me that you've spoken with Mister Potter and that he in fact is not being quite honest with his call on the Slytherin team."

Nodding in agreement, Ginny looked to the Headmaster's crystal eyes. "That is what I told him."

"Blaise also told me that Harry never came forth with this bit of news and that it is only your instincts and suspicions that have lead you to believe this." 

If Ginny didn't know better she'd have guessed that Dumbledore was trying to make it so that this wasn't an option he could use against the Gryffindor team. "No, Professor, I know Harry's not telling the truth. I've known him long enough to know when he's lying and this is one of those times."

"However you aren't certain?" Dumbledore was looking over his glasses right into her eyes and Ginny felt a bit intimidated. 

"Well I can't be a good hundred percent certain, not without Harry right out saying that the call's a hoax. But sir, I can almost guarantee you that it is so."

"Can you tell me what Harry told you?"

Ginny, for a moment, looked to Blaise who gave her an encouraging look with his eyes. She returned her attention to Dumbledore and gave him a summary of what Harry had told her that night she'd approached him. "All he would say was if it turned out in Gryffindor favour Slytherin cheated. And then I'd question him about that and he said that's all I needed to know. Gryffindor comes out of this in a favourable fashion no matter what - they can't loose. Professor I know Harry's lying. Him and the rest of the team. They can't face a lose to Slytherin and so they're going to bluff their way to a win." 

"Very well," Dumbledore said slowly and solemnly. "I know you are reliable Miss Weasley, and I doubt that you are lying to me, how unfortunate that is. However due to the fact that you have no solid evidence in the aspect that Harry never told you the honest truth about his team's doings I cannot call this upon them."

Blaise and Ginny looked horrifically to the other. Both had thought that for sure this would've won Slytherin the call and the match's results would be as they were supposed to be with a Slytherin win. But what Dumbledore was saying was that this wasn't fact enough and he couldn't go off it. 

"I have discussed the matter with Professor Flitwick and Madam Hooch. Together we have come to the conclusion that Slytherin has not committed any foul and the Quidditch match was rightly won by them." Ginny detected a faint darkness in his eyes, almost as if he were hoping that Gryffindor would win.

Ginny looked with relief to Blaise, a grin spread across his face. His team was off. Ginny didn't think he could be too much happier and she too smiled. 

"I will make this announcement tomorrow night during supper. However, I don't want this matter to leave this office. It is to stay between us and the two others who are making this decision along with me. I don't ever want to hear any talk of it."

"There will be no speaking of this Professor," Ginny said with a sparkle in her eye. The guilt had vanished from her gut and she couldn't help but feel joyous for the Slytherin team - be they her House rivals or not. 

Blaise nodded as well. "We won't speak of it again sir. You have our word." 

"Good, than you are both dismissed. I will see you at dinner time tomorrow." The two students left Dumbledore's office. A grin of achievement was present on both.

"Thanks again Ginny," Blaise said casually turning to the young redhead. They exited the hidden staircase and came out into the large corridor. 

"Just did what I thought was right," Ginny replied with a small shrug of her shoulders. She too was pleased with Dumbledore's decision. She could see an interesting smirk on Blaise's face and she raised an eyebrow.

"I don't think you know what this means to us Slytherins. It's because of you that we got off this call in the better."

Ginny looked to the floor, feeling slightly hot in the cheeks, and tried to cover her nerves. She hated that this boy was able to make her feel like this, flustered and nervous. She suddenly felt his hand come to her chin and raise her face. Looking into his dark eyes she saw his sincerity. She swallowed hard in her throat and bite gently on her bottom lip. She watched his eyes search her face and than stop upon her own eyes. 

"Thank you," he whispered quietly. Blaise then smiled lightly down upon her and removed his hand from her chin. He turned and walked away from the redhead, making his way for the Slytherin Dungeon.

Ginny sighed heavily as she made her way to her own House's Common Room. She was pleased, to say the very least, that Dumbledore and the others had decided in Slytherin's favour. She still found it hard to believe that Harry had really concocted that bullshit of an excuse in attempts to beat Slytherin. What was he coming to? 

"Where have you been?" Quin asked when Ginny came into Gryffindor Tower and sat down in one of the chairs by the sixth years.

"Library," she fibbed, looking to the brunette and curling a leg underneath of her. "Just getting some information I needed for homework." 

"Don't we find out tomorrow what was decided about last weekend's Quidditch match?" Lynda asked, picking Chester up off the floor. The cat curled in her knees and feel asleep rather rapidly.

"That we do," Quin said. "I do hope Gryffindor ends up with the win."

"They will," Colin said overtop a text book. He was rushing to finish up some last minute homework for class tomorrow. "Slytherin cheated. How can they possibly pull away with the win?"

Ginny listened attentively to her classmates as they conversed about the call. She knew better, and she knew what the outcome of Dumbledore's call was. She knew it was going to be called in favour of the Slytherins. 

It had been a long night for Blaise. Long and sleepless. He had been too thrilled to sleep and the amount of energy that surged through him surely didn't help all that much.

He couldn't be any more pleased with the outcome of Potter's hoax call. Well, if they had been able to prove to Dumbledore that Potter was lying and Potter would have to face consequences, than Blaise would've been happier, but this was almost as good. He couldn't wait to see the look on Potter's face when Dumbledore announced his decision to the school.

It was unfortunate that he had not been able to tell Draco. After all, Draco was the Captain, if anyone should have known it should've been he. But Blaise would keep to his word, both to Dumbledore and to Ginny. 

Ginny Weasley, she'd been a common thought on his mind for the last few days and Blaise wasn't sure why. Why had she helped him, helped Slytherin? She was a Gryffindor, an enemy, but she had helped them out none the less. Confusion had struck Blaise. She was both a Gryffindor and a Weasley. Those were probably the two groups of witches and wizards that he and Draco harassed the most. But she was different. He just couldn't figure out how. 

Her eyes were remarkable. Blaise had noticed that when he'd looked upon her to thank her. They were an incredible shade of gold, flecked with specks of brown, and there was a glint present in them that he couldn't describe.

The more he thought of her, the more he saw her, the more he wanted to know her. Every part of her. But it was unheard of, and Blaise denied it to himself. She was a Gryffindor and a Weasley at that. What was he thinking?

* * *

Blaise ignored the bright sunshine that came into his dorm. He shut his eyes tight and blocked it all out. Maybe it would go away.

"Blaise we have class in a half hour," reminded Draco and Blaise stirred. He rubbed his sore eyes and got on his uniform. He managed to make it to the Great Hall with Draco.

He had finally fallen asleep about two hours before he had been rudely awoken. All he wanted now was his four poster and some shut eye. He yawned, entering the Hall, and caught the eye of one particular redhead. He gave her a smile, which she returned, and then made his way to the head of the Slytherin Table, taking a seat to Draco's left.

Well, there was one other thing he wanted. For time to miraculously pass by and for it to be two meals from now. Dumbledore would make his little announcement to the school and Blaise would be able to see Potter's crushed face when he realized his loss. The glory of it all.

"Do you think we have any chance?" Pansy asked across the table to Draco.

"Against Potter and Gryffindor?" He chuckled. "I highly doubt it," he answered pessimistically. 

"You really think so Draco?"

"Yes Pansy, I really think so."

Damn, how Blaise wished he could spill his information. They all had the wrong idea. They were completely wrong. He wanted to let everyone know that Slytherin was the out coming team in this. That Gryffindor was going down. No. He'd have to wait another ten hours, or so, until the school would find out. Ten hours of silence. He could only think of one other person who understood what he was going through.

  
  


This realm of keeping quiet was like torture. Ginny was forced into listening to the rest of the Gryffindors as they boasted about winning. Every one of them thought that Gryffindor was going to pull away from this with the win. They didn't know how wrong they were. 

Harry was the worst. Ginny didn't know what had gotten into him. What had happened to that boy she used to know? They one she used to like? For him to have even come up with this plot was insanely not him. And then to have the confidence, or cockiness, to think that he was going to get away with it. He was definitely no longer the Harry Potter Ginny knew in her first year at Hogwarts. Or even her fifth. 

As classes drew nearer, Ginny got up from the table and exited with the other Gryffindors of her year. Ginny, along with a few others headed to the eastern courts of the castle for Ancient Runes. The others, including with them Lynda and Quinlan, headed north where they'd have Divination. Ginny counted on this being a rather long day.

And she couldn't have been any more right. The day seemed to slip by slowly. It was anticipation. Anticipation always made for time to come to a near stop. And this day couldn't be any more like that. 

Ancient Runes, a normally quick and interesting class, crawled by today. Professor Hanson, the Ancient Runes teacher, couldn't even make the time pass quickly for Ginny. Everything had just come to a halt. And that lead Ginny to think about Blaise. How she had loved the past little while. Actually speaking to him, holding a conversation with him. Although, there was always that awkward sensation she got in the pit of her stomach whenever he was around. 

When the day's classes finally passed, and meal time came around, Ginny went to the Great Hall, like everyone else, and found her seat at her House Table. It was so eerie to be in there. Ginny could actually hear herself breath, that's how quiet it was. Never before, or never again, would it be so quiet. It was almost frightening. All eyes were turned in eager anticipation toward Dumbledore. The Headmaster, however, ignored the lot as he merrily whispered something to Professor McGonagall to his side.

Looking to the student body, Dumbledore cleared his throat as he rose. All inhaled deeply, awaiting for his announcement. One could almost slice the tension with a butter knife, it was so thick.

"I would like to start by saying that Professor Flitwick, Madam Hooch and myself have had a fair difficult time with this call. Very rare is it for one team to call such a foul on another." The old wizard paused and surveyed the hall of students. 

Taking the moment Ginny glanced sideways at the Slytherins. Her eyes meet up with Blaise's and she gave him a weak smile. She knew the call, but this still made her nervous. 

"We have reviewed the match in great detail," Dumbledore started up again by saying. "There was not a second of that game that was not thoroughly analysed." He paused again and Ginny swore he was doing it for suspense's effect. "So, Professor Flitwick, Madam Hooch and I have come to the conclusion that," the air became tighter as tension rose a notch, "Slytherin is declared the win of the match. The House team has committed no foul."

Whoops, cheers and claps came from the prevailing house, much to the disappointment of the others. Many eyes, namely Ginny, Blaise and Draco, looked to Harry.

His eyes were wide, but his pupils were small. Both eyebrows were raised in complete shock and his mouth gaped open. His eyes travelled rapidly between the Headmaster and the rival team. It was apparent that he didn't quite comprehend what had just happened. How he could've lost the call.

Dumbledore cleared his throat again and the Slytherins became silent. "I hope no further calls such as this come up as long as I am Headmaster of this school. The final Quidditch match before winter will occur next weekend and tomorrow will be the Hallowe'en Feast and trip to Hogsmeade for third years and above. A bid you all a fair evening." He clapped his hands gently and food miraculously appeared on the tables before them. 

The Gryffindor Table was on the rather quiet side throughout the meal. Everyone was in a fair bit of shock with Dumbledore's choice. They had all been certain that Gryffindor would pull away with the better side of this. All save for Ginny. Ravenclaw and Hufflepuff weren't all that loud either. Only Slytherin kept at their normal volume, but then they had reason to be happy.

There were still things Ginny wished she knew. Everything that had been going on through Harry's head last weekend she wanted to know. Although it didn't seem as if she'd ever find that out.

  
  


"Ginny, thanks again," came a soft hiss in her ear as she made her exit from the Great Hall. She kept up with Quin and Lynda, only falling only a pace or two behind. She turned slightly, a smile on her face, to see Blaise behind her.

"Your welcome," her whisper was faint but he could hear it and Blaise grinned.

"I hope I'll someday be able to return the favour," his words hit her ear. "In the meantime, thanks."

"Blaise," she chuckled softly, "I think you've thanked me thirty times now." She turned a corridor with the other two and knew that he had left in the opposite direction. Merlin how she could feel herself falling more and more for him.

It was nine-thirty when Ginny made her way to her dorm, much to the questioning of the sixth years. She'd simply yawned and explained that she was tired. She hiked up the stairs, staring down at her feet. Fumbling with the elastic in her hair, Ginny looked to the door entrance to her dormitory. 

"Christ Harry, you're not supposed to be here," she gasped, looking to his green eyes and scar. "You know you aren't supposed to be up at the girls' dormitories."

"I need to talk," he said very clearly, turning the knob and backing into her dorm. Ginny followed him in. She gulped, perhaps in fear, and sat on the edge of her bed. Harry had closed the door and now walked the length of the room. "Did you say anything?"

"Say anything? Harry, what are you talking about?" Ginny prayed this wasn't about the Quidditch call.

"About the cheating call on Slytherin? Did you tell Slytherin it was a hoax call? After I talked with you, did you turn to them?"

"Yes Harry, after you told me nothing, I ran to Draco Malfoy and told him a whole lot of nothing," she lashed, dripping with foul sarcasm. "Bloody hell Harry, even if I wanted to I had nothing to tell those slimy gits. Where are you coming off of?"

"We were sure to have the call okayed by Dumbledore. We would've won, but somehow Dumbledore was convinced otherwise. You accused me of lying, did you not? So did you go to Malfoy and his bloody team? Tell them all you knew?"

"I told you Harry, I said nothing to Slytherin. Yes, I may have accused you of lying, and I more than ever believe it now, but I didn't talk to Malfoy. Why would I?" She hoped she sounded as convincing as she thought she did.

Harry walked up to her. "I don't know. Why would you? You better very well be speaking the truth to me Ginny. I can't believe you would go to Slytherin. I can't believe you'd betray your own house."

"Oh sod off Harry. I told you I didn't go tell Slytherin anything." She paused than slyly add, "I can't believe you'd lie to win a Quidditch match."

He narrowed his eyes at her, but Ginny leered right back. She wanted him to leave before anything got out of control. 

"If I ever hear otherwise Gin," he threatened, "I swear ..."

"What? You swear what?" After he didn't reply Ginny spoke again, "Leave Harry, now."

Shaking his head, Harry angrily walked from the girls' dorm, shutting the door tight behind him. What had happened? This was so not the Harry Ginny'd once known? What had gone on with his life to turn this boy around like that? It just didn't make sense. The call didn't make sense. But how had he known she's talked?

Blaise. He couldn't have, but then ... If he'd uttered a word of this to Malfoy it might just have reached Harry's ears. Sure that would give reasoning to Harry's anger, but Blaise wouldn't have. No, it wasn't plausible. Ginny didn't even want to think about that. He'd said he would keep his word. He swore to her that he wouldn't tell anyone. He promised he'd never mention her name.

  
  


"Blaise, we need to talk." The moment Draco had come into the Common Room he had wished to speak with Blaise. "You knew about this didn't you?" Draco asked the second he knew that no one else could hear them.

"About the outcome of the call?"

"Yes the outcome of the call. You had already known Slytherin was going to win, didn't you?" His tone of voice, although one could mistake it for anger, Blaise knew that Draco was just questioning. Rather enthusiastically, but he was still just questioning.

"Draco, I can't say anything ..."

"What did that Weasley girl tell you?" Draco cut in. "She told you something the other day, didn't she?"

"She didn't tell me anything." Blaise looked away. He wouldn't tell Draco, he couldn't. Draco would have to pour Truth Potion down his throat for him to let out what Ginny had told him.

"That's bullshit Blaise. Weasley didn't just want to talk to you for the sake of talking to you. I'm not an idiot Zabini, what did she tell you?" Draco demanded to know and his grey slate eyes narrowed at the other boy.

"She didn't say anything Draco, just leave it at that." Blaise turned his dark eyes to Draco and challenged him to step down. There was no way in all of hell that he would speak of this. No way. 

Draco gave Blaise a look that said he knew there was something behind this, and he wanted to know what that was. "She told you something about the Gryffindors, didn't she? Something that lead us to getting Dumbledore's choice. What was it Blaise? What did that muggle loving Weasley tell you?"

"Drop it Malfoy," Blaise said angrily, cowering at the blonde. "Ginny didn't tell me anything, nothing that concerns you. Leave it be, alright?"

"Give it a rest Blaise," Draco sneered. "What did she tell you?" He hated it when things wouldn't go his way. Blaise knew Draco wouldn't let him out of this one easily.

With an even heavier glare Blaise answered, "Draco, back off. I told you, she didn't tell me anything."

"I'm not buying it Blaise. What did that Weasley tell you?" 

"Look, you got your win, did you not? Be happy with that, you don't need to know any of my affairs."

Angrily, Draco turned away, shaking his head, and walked to the group of seventh years. Blaise watched the blonde prefect walk away and bit down on his tongue. Draco was a good guy, at times, but he was also the biggest prat Blaise thought he'd ever meant. Draco could go ahead and think he'd get anything from Blaise, but no, Blaise was going to keep his word to the young Weasley. He wasn't about to tell anyone what she'd come to him with.

  
  


A/n: :hmphs: I do believe there's a couple things I must say. Lets start off with a grand thank-you to all you who have reviewed. Thanks so much! Also; yeah, Harry's a bit (mark that :a lot:) OOC. Can you tell he's not my favourite character much? But there will be a reason for his OOC-ness, and when I figure out what that reason is, you will too! Not a big fan of how this chapter ended, but for now it will do. Thanks again everyone! Lizi


	5. Sound is Defeaning

Chapter Five: Sound is Defeaning

Harry had never been so angry in all his life. Well, there was that time when he'd found out that Uncle Vernon and Aunt Petunia had lied to him about his parents' death. And then there was that time in fourth year when Ron had acted completely stupid about Harry getting all the glory. But put those aside and Harry was rather enraged.

He'd lost. He had bloody lost to those no good Slytherins for the second time in a row. How could Gryffindor have lost? For Merlin's sake James and Riley claimed they had the sure fire plan to catch Slytherin cheating. Buggers.

Than Harry thought about his House and became even more angry. What had he been thinking? Pulling a bluff call on Slytherin was possibly the stupidest idea in the history of stupid ideas. How did this make Gryffindor look? Surely Ginny hadn't been the only person to clue into the idea that the call was a fake. What did the others now think of the Gryffindor team?

The expression 'to be the pond scum on one's shoe' really applied to him right now or at least that's what Harry figured. He felt low. A - for losing to Slytherin. Twice. And b - for lying in order to beat Slytherin. Harry was stooping down to Malfoy's level. If not lower.

"Harry?" came Hermione's questioning voice. Harry looked up to see the bushy brunette now standing over him. Not far away was to be found Ron. "Are you going to sit here all afternoon? Come on, Ron and I are heading to the Hall for lunch and then spend the afternoon in Hogsmeade."

Adjusting his glasses to better sit on his nose, Harry stood from his seat in Gryffindor Tower and followed his two friends. He sat quietly at Gryffindor Table and ate little, his wonderings too astray. He looked down the table to Ron's younger sister and watched as she laughed at something a friend of hers had said. His emerald green eyes followed as she rose and, along with two others of her year, made way for the grand doors. His eyes shifted from the exiting Ginny to the entering Malfoy. A smirk was present on his pale face and he nudged Zabini. Harry cursed under his breath. 

  
  


"I'll meet you both in the Three Broomsticks," Quinlan stated having spotted Colin ahead in the corridor. She went off, leaving Ginny and Lynda, to meet with him. She had some owling she had to get done, and not having an owl herself she'd have to use Post Office at the village. Colin was getting to be her lucky companion.

"Butterbeer then Gin?" Lynda looked to her friend with a wide smile on her face.

"Sounds good with me. Just let me run back to our dorm. I'll be back in a few minutes." 

It didn't take Ginny long, as she said it wouldn't. She'd left Lynda at the Castle doors, went straight for her sixth year dorm and then returned. The two girls then headed off for their afternoon visit to the wizarding village, only to return later for the annual Hallowe'en Feast.

"Gin, go grab a table. I'll bring you a drink. Remember that Colin and Quin are coming along later." She went to leave, but halted and turned back. "And Ginny do try to keep yourself out of trouble this year."

Ginny chuckled as Lynda walked off. That was Lynda for you, always looking out for the better of Quin and Ginny. But then every year seemed to spring some sort of havoc on this particular outing. Last year Quin had gotten into a loud disagreement with Colin. Ginny, the year before, had run into a spat with her older brother. And the year before that she had a slight quarrel with Mister Draco Malfoy himself.

She made way for an empty table to the side of the busy room. It was a taller table and had four bar stools placed around its curves. A candle dripped melted wax onto the table's surface, forming abstract sculptures. Ginny began to play with and mold the liquid wax. Then she glanced over to the open doorway, and watched four familiar boys walk in. One, the fairest of the four, had a smirk plastered on his face and Ginny rolled her eyes. "Arrogant prat," she muttered silently at Malfoy. Her attention, as was typical, flipped to the dark figure that was Blaise.

"Ginny, do you know what homework is supposed to be done this week for Transfiguration?"

Sharply, Ginny turned her focus from Blaise to the blonde, if you could really call her that. Comparing her to Draco and you might as well say that Lynda was a brunette. Lynda slid a butterbeer across the table; some contents slopping over the side. "Just the reading, well, and the questions that accompany it. Those five paragraphs won't be due for some time."

"Did you ever notice how much essay writing we have to do this year?" Lynda asked as she took a small drink from her mug. 

Ginny shrugged and gave Lynda a lopsided frown. Essays didn't really bother her, not all that much. Actually, she rather enjoyed doing them. She enjoyed writing and doing essays often got her good marks, raising her class mark just that much. 

"Hey you two," Quin said, coming up smiling. She had a butterbeer in her hand and took a seat next to Lynda. Colin quietly took up the only remaining seat at the table. 

"Quinlan," Lynda nodded in greeting. "Uh, Colin, I believe Rock and the others want to see you." Lynda watched the three Gryffindor boys trying to flag over Colin. He turned to look at them, than saying an extremely quick goodbye he got up and left. 

  
  


"Hey, you know who I realized is not so shabby looking?"

Oh God. Ginny prayed that Blaise's name wasn't the next thing to come out of Quin's mouth. Had she not just gotten over that whole Malfoy thing? If Quin was about to start on Blaise, Ginny was going to have a heart attack.

"Your brother."

Ginny looked wide-eyed at her friend, coughing into her butterbeer. Shaking her head, Ginny laughed at Quin's comment.

"No, seriously Gin. He's cute. Mind you, I can see him and Hermione hooking up sometime soon. What with the way the two of them act around each other. It really wouldn't surprise me. They'd be a cute couple if ever I did see one. However, I still think that Ben and Lea were a good pairing. But they've been split up for a while now, haven't they? And then there's that odd pairing between Je-anne and that Ravenclaw seventh year fellow - what's his name... "

She shook her head. Ginny wasn't sure if Quin was really talking to her and Lynda or if it was more-so thinking about loud to herself. She did that quite often. Went on these rambling tangents about the social standings of the school. Always big into knowing the rest of the school's personal happenings, never quite content with her own. 

"Um, all right," Lynda cut in, silencing Quin, finally. "What do you say we leave and head over to Honeydukes. I wouldn't mind picking up some sweets."

Very thankful, Ginny agreed. However much she loved Quin, sometimes her rambles just weren't something Ginny wanted to listen to. To tell you the truth, they were bloody annoying. The three Gryffindors parted the Three Broomsticks and made their way over to the very packed, very busy, Honeydukes candy shop. It took awhile, but finally they squeezed their way in. Ginny would be quick in the store and told Quin and Lynda she'd meet them outside. She knew exactly what candy she would get. She got the same thing every time. A small bag with Bertie Bott's Every Flavour Beans in strawberry, orange and peanut butter. Ginny was fanatic when they started selling the things in individual flavours. She wasn't a jellybean fan, save for those three flavours. 

After purchasing the jellybeans, Ginny slowly squeezed her way through the mass of students and exited. She made her way up the hill in direction to the Shrieking Shack, where she leaned up against the wooden fence, watching the shop door for her two friends. Ginny waited ten minutes, before getting rather bored and she sighed deeply when they had yet to come forth. 

"Hello there Miss Weasley," came a sudden voice to her left. Ginny looked and came face-to-face with Blaise. She smiled as he too leaned against the fence, facing the shack, his elbows upon the highest post. "How've you been doing?"

"Quite fine," she chortled and looked back in the direction of Honeydukes. "And yourself?"

"Not bad ... Did you, by any chance, talk to anyone?"

"About?" she asked, somewhat surprised. Of course she'd talked to people, she wasn't some sort of hermit who kept to herself. Just what was he getting at? Ginny thought she had an idea.

"About what you told me?"

Ginny dropped her eyes from the shop to him. "You're kidding me? Blaise, why would I tell anyone? I'm the one here at risk for telling you, remember? I went against my House. Why would I talk to anyone about that?"

Blaise shrugged. He didn't know why she'd tell, but maybe she had. Blaise didn't really know. Draco had known, but then again he had also seen that Ginny had wanted to talk to Blaise. It probably only made sense that Draco had put two and two together to understand what Ginny had spoken to Blaise about. "I don't know, I just was wondering."

"Look, I'm not going to tell anyone. I'm not going to get myself in more shit than I need to be in. However," she took a brief pause, "you are the different question. And I'm not caring on this conversation here. I don't care if we were as quiet as can be, I won't have it here. Tomorrow, maybe." She spotted Lynda and Quin emerging from the candy shop and walked away from Blaise, down the small hill, to meet them both. 

  
  


"Where have you been at?" Draco asked when Blaise came into the Great Hall and took a seat to his side. "We left when we couldn't find you at Hogsmeade."

"I just had some thinking I had to do," Blaise mumbled quietly, looking to the gold feast plates sitting in front of him. 

"About?" Draco asked, running a hand through his hair, looking to his schoolmate. "There's something at you Zabini. You seem rather perplexed if you asked me."

Shaking his head, Blaise bit at his thumbnail and looked over to Draco. "Just thoughts," he answered the blonde. "I just have something I have to figure."

"And I'm guessing you won't be telling me what this 'something' is, will you?" 

Blaise shook his head. Good guess, Draco. He couldn't be any more right. As if Blaise would be telling anyone about these thoughts. These things he didn't really want to be thinking. She was a Weasley and a Gryffindor. That's how Blaise had to think about her. He shouldn't be thinking about her in any other way. No, she was simply a Weasley, and a good target for some spur of the moment, crude and unnecessary comments. 

Dumledore must have said something for food popped up out of no where and the Hallowe'en Feast got under way. But Blaise wasn't very hungry. Nay, just very confused and befuddled. He looked up from the table and across the room at Ginny. She pointlessly ran a hand through her hair, for the strands just feel back into her face. Blaise smiled, a hidden, shy sort of smile and looked away from her. 

He was going crazy. That's what it was. How else could he explain what he was feeling for her? There wasn't. No, the best way to put was the he was losing it. Geh, but how he could resist it. He wanted to, wanted to resist it, but couldn't. He didn't want to fall for the sixth year, but if Blaise just would admit it, he'd see he already had. 

The Feast had ended awhile later and the Hall slowly grew emptier and emptier as students made their way out of the room. Blaise and Draco got up, leaving Vince and Greg there. 

"So, you sure you won't tell me what's eating at you?" Draco asked as the two cleared away, heading toward the dungeons. 

Blaise looked over, glaring at Draco. "I'm not about to tell you bloody anything." He then stopped, dead in his tracks. "I'll be back." Blaise left the very confused Malfoy where he was, and headed off in the direction he'd just come from. Back to the Great Hall. 

Draco watched, very confused, as Blaise walked briskly away. He furrowed his brow at him, than shrugged and figured he might as well give it up. He wasn't going to find out what the hell Blaise was up to now. He'd just have to give it awhile. But he'd find out. He wasn't a Malfoy for nothing. He'd soon know what was going on with his friend. 

  
  


Ginny had begun to walk from the feast and hall along with Lynda and Rock. Quin had left sometime ago, with Colin by her side. Yawning, the young Weasley turned a hallway with the others, but found she was stopped by a sudden grasp on her arm. 

"A word, now." It was Blaise, and he had put much force on 'now'. 

With shock clearly written all over her face, Ginny let him lead her away from the two Gryffindors. They were probably just as confused as she was, if not more. Blaise, still holding her around the wrist, took her off, away from any students. He desperately need to talk with her. 

"What the hell, Blaise?" she questioned angrily when he'd finally let go of her arm in some deserted, unoccupied corridor. Her golden eyes were pledged with rage as they narrowed up at him. 

"We have to talk."

"I told you, I'd talk to you tomorrow."

"Well, that's not good enough for me. We need to talk to now."

Ginny glared and crossed her arms over her chest. She watched Blaise as he took a step closer to her. His dark eyes lingered for a moment on her own and than fell passed her. "Fine, as I said you are a different question Blaise. And would you like to know what that question is? How does Harry know I talked to you? You questioned me speaking up, but my question is, who have you been talking to?" 

Blaise looked at her in shock and he bit nervously at the middle knuckle of his index finger. Potter knew? He knew she'd come to Slytherin? How was that possible? "I -I," he stuttered, "I swear to you I didn't speak to anyone."

"Not even Malfoy?" Ginny questioned provocatively, drawing closer to the boy. Being a fair bit shorter, she came only to his chin and had to look up to stare into his eyes. But her being the shorter of the two didn't really matter. Blaise was still uneasy with what she was accusing of him. And the manner in which she was acting.

"No," he said blankly. "I hold my word Ginny, I'm not going to say anything. Draco's been pressing me for what you said, but I won't tell him."

"And I'm supposed to believe you for that?" she quickly spoke up, interrupting his speech. What was his problem? He had come condemning her for conversing with someone about this matter, but then she was supposed to take his word that he hadn't? 

Blaise shifted his balance from one foot to the other. "I didn't speak to anyone. No, not even Draco. I don't know how Potter knows anything, or maybe it's just that he suspects it. I'm not sure." He put a hand on her shoulder. "But I'm telling you, no one has heard anything from me."

She looked away, breaking his stare, and brought her hand to her forehead. Closing her eyes, Ginny sighed heavily. Her anger was slowly giving away, and was being replaced with anxiety. She looked back to Blaise. "You didn't speak to anyone?" she asked again, this time as if to double check his word to her.

"I didn't." He took his hand from her shoulder and brushed a strand of hair out of her eyes. "I'll hold my word to you. I'm not about to talk to anyone."

Looking at him, she couldn't help but believe him. That left here with the question as to where Harry was coming from. Where he'd gotten the clue that she'd said something. But she knew it wasn't from Blaise. He seemed to be to sincere to talk to even his team captain about her. 

"Alright," she muttered quietly, chewing delicately on her upper lip. 

"Listen, I don't know how Potter can think you came to Slytherin, but I promise you it wasn't from me where he heard it." Blaise detected something about the way in which she'd answered him. He wasn't satisfied that she believed him. There was still some skepticism that floated through her, telling her not to fully rely on him. "Ginny, I don't know what else I can do to convince you, but you have to know that I won't ever betray your word."

"I know," came her soft reply. "I don't know why I doubted you in the first place, but I have to trust that you haven't, or won't, let this out." Ginny turned to walk away, but found his hand close around her upper arm. Blaise stopped her and pulled her closer to him. She survey his eyes for a moment, as he held onto her arm. It was weird, and for a minute or so she stood there in silence, watching his eyes. Without any word he released her and Ginny slowly backed away. She eventually made her way to the Gryffindor Common Room.

"What had that been about?" Lynda asked when Ginny had taken a seat up in their dormitory. She had been puzzled ever since Zabini had pulled Ginny away.

"Nothing," Ginny answered, looking into the orange of the fire.

"You're going to tell me that?" Lynda asked sarcastically. She knew something was up. How often was it that being pulled off by a seventh year Slytherin was nothing? She doubted very often. "Gin, what is it?"

"It's nothing Lynda. Really don't worry about it."

Lynda shot Ginny a very arguable look. It wasn't likely that she believed Ginny, actually she didn't believe Ginny. But, she'd give Ginny time. She respected her privacy and if Ginny didn't want to speak up, Lynda wasn't about to force her. Lynda knew if there was ever a time when Ginny did need her, Ginny would come forward. "All right. Just watch yourself. Please?"

Ginny laughed. "You're always looking out for the better of me Lynda. I'd be lost without you, you know that?" 

Lynda cracked a smile. "Of course you would be."

This was one of those times when Ginny would've loved to tell Lynda what was on her mind, but she couldn't bring herself to. She trusted Lynda, and she was sure that if she did say anything, Lynda would keep her mouth shut. But there was still that edge that remained. That edge that told Ginny it was wiser for her to keep this between herself and Blaise. That's exactly what she intended to do.

  
  


Shaking his head, Blaise ambled from the corridor. This girl was going to be the end of him if he wasn't careful. Or maybe even if he was. Sure, he had told himself he was going to think of her as a Weasley and as a Gryffindor. He had said earlier that afternoon that she wasn't going to be Ginny to him, only a target. He had given up hope on that. 

It was going to drive him crazy either way. So what was the point in denying her existence? He might as well admit it to himself; he liked her. That was that. Was there really anything he could do about it? No, not likely. He might as well stop running from the truth and learned to accept it. He did like her. He had fallen for Ginny Weasley. End of story. 

  
  


A/n: End of another chapter of Chained to Fate. Surprisingly I wrote it in a rather short time and :unfortunately: I didn't take quite as much time to edit it as usual. (I'm a normal grammar nut, but I didn't quite feel like it this time. End of my week break from school, that's what I can blame it on) Thanks again all of you who reviewed. And thanks Ariahni. You're my masked angel sweetheart, and I think you need to know that. My world would probably crash and burn if you weren't around. So thanks Ari, you are my savior and I owe you my life. Lizi


	6. Break the Glass

A/n: Yes, I do normally place my author's notes at the end of my chapters, but I felt this one I had to put up front. Ari, thanks. I know I've not been one the best people to have to put up with over the last few days, and I thank you for being always by my side. You're my greatest support system and this all goes out to you. 

'_Overbearing panic attack entrenching my veins. In an hour I'll be ok I pray this pain will go away permanently someday. I've seen more than... I should have to... I've seen this on my own. This song is a, poem to myself, it helps me to live... in case of fire, break the glass, and move onto your own ' - _Poem, Taproot.

Chapter Six: Break the Glass

Harry sat in his dorm, chilled. Chilled and enraged. What had he honestly been thinking? Or had he? He seriously doubted that now that the event had passed. But he had actually lied to attempt to claim Gryffindor the win. He couldn't believe he had shrunk to such an unheard of low. The thought disgusted him. He had acted stupidly.

All he had wanted was the chance to beat Slytherin. The chance to beat Malfoy, the one he was at the greatest competition with. He'd never lost to Malfoy before, at least not at Quidditch, and this one time had pushed him far over the edge. He'd fallen on confused wings and not even tried to stretch them and fly. No, Harry Potter took the bloody easy way out of this. Or what he thought was the easy way.

Nothing had been going the way he'd planned lately, and it seemed as if he was losing everything. For some reason he'd hit a point where it seemed like everything had slipped away from him. He'd lost Cho Chang only a year ago, although Harry had to really consider if he ever had her. None the less, he still lost her. 

_Cho Chang had only been the girl Harry had crushed on since his fourth year of schooling. He had once asked her to the Yule Ball in the same year, but she had already promised to go with the late Cedric Diggory. A year had passed and slowly Harry watched the pretty Ravenclaw recover from Cedric's murder. _

_He had then, somehow, even Harry wasn't sure, mustered up the courage to start talking with her. She was the Ravenclaw Captain. He was that of Gryffindor. They had common ground and Harry soon found it easy to talk to her. He thought that Cho must've enjoyed his company, for she often talked to him more than she had ever before._

_After a Gryffindor-Ravenclaw game, one in late April that proved in a Gryffindor win, Harry had talked with her at the base of the stadium. She was sitting there, alone in the stands, her dark hair shimmering in the late afternoon sun. He'd approached her, nervously, and sat down next to her. _

_"Good game Cho," he said, engaging her in a session of small talk._

_"Thanks Harry," she smiled at him. "You played really well. You'll make a fine Quidditch player someday."_

_Harry had then felt himself blush. Putting his hand on the bench behind him, Harry lent in and softly kissed her. Cho had kissed him back, but only shortly before pulling away. She looked at him, with a questioning glance, and then walked away. Harry had never dared to get close to her after that. He was a bit scared. He knew that he'd lost her from that moment on and had eventually come to terms with that._

He had then lost Ginny, just over the summer. 

_Awhile after Harry had finally given up all hopes with Cho and had gotten her image far from his mind, he moved on. He'd discovered that one girl, one simple girl, who had been sitting right next to him all this while now held the key to him. Only problem was, she was his best mate's younger sister. _

_Harry had known Ginny had been infatuated with him since his second year at Hogwarts, everybody knew it. But he'd only ever considered her as Ron's sibling. Nothing more, nothing less. Slowly, and gradually, he began to see her in a different light and by the end of his sixth year he had admitted to himself that he liked her, in more than a 'you're-my-mates-young-sister' way. _

_It was the sixth day of summer vacation. Harry was spending it at the Weasley's. He'd take it any day at the Burrow than back at Privet Drive with his nasty aunt and uncle. Ron had been showering, or perhaps still sleeping, Harry wasn't really all that sure, but he was up. He walked out in the yard, only to see Ginny leaning against a willow tree at the yard's back. Her hair burned like fire in two long braids over her shoulders, and she was looking down to a book._

_"Hi Ginny," Harry said when he approached her. He ducked under the willow's drooping branches and leaves that curtained the young Weasley girl. _

_"Oh, hi there Harry," Ginny barely looked up at him. _

_"Is it all right if I ask you something?" he said almost in a nervous state. Harry wasn't sure what he was going to say, but he had to give it a shot. _

_"Give me a moment. There's about a half page left in this chapter."_

_Harry stood down the small hill formed by the tree's mass roots. He waited as she finished the chapter of her book, bent the corner in and closed it, resting it on the ground by her feet. She pulled her knees in and smiled, her faintly freckled cheeks lighting up. "What was it you wanted to ask?"_

_Harry walked up to her, and crouched at his knees. He put both his hands on her knees and looked at her bright, golden eyes. He had then just said it. Told her that he liked her. What else could he have done? He watched the smile fade from Ginny's face and her eyes dropped._

_"Oh," she said in a tone of surprise. "Um, about that. You see Harry, I kind of, well, got on with my life. I, uh, liked you for so many years, but truth be told, I don't anymore. Not like that," she had added quickly. Harry knew she was trying to be nice about it, trying to put it in a way that would be easy for him to take. But she couldn't say that in anyway that didn't crush Harry. He had liked her since Christmas of his sixth year, and for her to say she no longer liked him, or 'not in those terms', knocked him down. _

_Harry swallowed the lump in his throat and without any farther word with the redhead, he made his way back into the Burrow to find Ron. _

He was soon to lose his two closest friends, Hermione and Ron, to each other. 

_Ever since his fourth year, or the end of the year, Harry had known Ron had a crush on Hermione. Ron might not have known it then, but Harry did. He picked up on that rather quickly. Ron was always nervous around Hermione, always jealous of her and any other guy. The two might disagree all the time, but as they say opposites attract._

_Harry realized, Hermione shared the same feelings for Ron._

_"Harry! You won!" Hermione exclaimed as Harry watched her rush up to him after the final Quidditch match of their sixth year. Gryffindor had just beat out Ravenclaw for the Quidditch Cup. "Congratulations."_

_"Thanks Hermione," Harry said with a great and proud grin across his face. Ron then approached, having followed Hermione. Harry watched the brunette eyeball Ron as he congratulated Harry. He had suspected it for a few weeks now. Hermione liked Ron, plain as could be, that just gave Harry a bit of added proof to the fact._

_Spending practically the whole month of August together, Harry noted that the two became closer and closer. They spent too much time together. It was now like they could finish each other's sentences. It was almost too creepy for him. Harry had known, since going into the month, that eventually, sometime, his two best friends would hook up._

And add to that his marks were starting to slip and he was losing those as well. 

_"Mister Potter," Flitwick said as he handed a Charms test back to Harry. "Not your usual work Harry. You're going to have to bring up that mark of your's."_

_Harry flipped his evaluation of the Charm over to see that he had in fact passed, but not by all that much. It wasn't something that he was proud of, and his spirits sank. He'd gotten back a Transfiguration mark awhile ago and it proved he wasn't doing as well as normal in McGonagall's class either. Then there was Potions. Bloody Snape wasn't about to give him a good mark. _

_Thankfully there were his courses like Divination and Care of Magical Creatures that would help his marks. And of course there was Defense Against the Dark Arts, which was always one of his strongest classes. But as he looked at the mark in his hand and sighed, Harry knew the truth. Even if he did have other courses to help his marks, they didn't change it as drastically as a few bad marks. He knew he was really going to have to concentrate on bringing his marks back up. _

_"Cheer up Harry," Hermione said in an attempt to comfort him. As if that was going to help him. Who was she, the one who got perfect marks all the time. "There's always next Charm Evaluation you'll do well on."_

_Harry groaned and stuffed his wand and papers in his bag._

That ugly lose to the Slytherins just made it all unbearable for Harry. He didn't want to have this one extra lose. It had pushed him.

_"I've never lost to Malfoy, not at Quidditch," Harry complained as he walked from the pitch to the dressing room with his two Beaters. Harry couldn't believe he had just lost to Slytherin. Malfoy had actually caught the Snitch before he had. It was a first in six years._

_"Not doing so hot, Potter?" Malfoy called outside the Slytherin dressing room. "Team not doing as well as usual?"_

_"Shut up Malfoy," Harry spat at the Slytherin Captain and stalked into his own House room._

_"You know Harry, there is a way," proposed Riley Nickelson after a few seconds._

_"Yea, you see we could beat Slytherin," the other Beater, James Chapman, added slyly. "It is possible."_

_Harry looked to the two with doubt. Sometimes he wondered if they were more trouble than the Weasley twins. "It's not possible, the match is over and we lost." He cursed under his breath._

_"Doesn't matter, there's still away." A devilish twinkle came to Riley's eyes and he grinned. There was something on his mind, some plan. Harry wasn't sure if he wanted to know about his. He really wasn't. But then they started talking, telling him about their plans and ideas, and Harry found himself listening._

_Harry laughed when the two finished telling him about calling a false call against the Slytherin team. What kind of crazy and immoral idea was that? But as time passed, a few minutes that was, Harry started to like the idea. They had a point. It did give Gryffindor a chance, and they didn't lose in the situation. He could still claim his win against Malfoy._

_"All right," Harry mumbled. "I'll find Hooch and talk to her."_

_Riley and James grinned with satisfaction at hearing Harry's words. Harry could only guess that they had presumed he wouldn't have been up for it. Hell, Harry wasn't even sure if he was up for it. But at least he could claim this, win something. And whoever liked losing to a Malfoy?_

Had he ever been wrong. He now was settled with guilt at the stupidity of his own actions. What had he been thinking? He had failed Gryffindor. There was no other way to put it, he had let them down. To have even agreed with James and Riley on that idea was absurd and he should've known better than it. What would've happened if Dumbledore had found it the truth? Surely Gryffindor would've been disqualified for the season and Harry would've been stripped of his title.

What if Dumbledore had sided with Harry? That was another question persistant on Harry's mind. Sure it was Malfoy and Slythering, but still. They'd be disqualified, Malfoy'd be stripped, and they wouldn't have done anything to deserve it. God had he ever been foolish to think that call was a wise idea. 

He felt horrible for yelling at Ginny. Why he had accused her of talking to Slytherin he wasn't even sure. He was simply displacing his anger for loosing yet again onto her. He had to clear things up with her. He knew she'd never like him, not in the way he wanted, but he still felt terrible for what he did. 

Walking into the Common Room he saw the portrait hole enter as Ginny and a few of her friends entered. There was no better time than now. "Ginny!" he called across the room. She looked nervously up at him, and Harry knew she was scared or nervous, but still she came. "You were right in believing it was a fake," Harry said quietly as he stood with her to the side of the room.

Ginny didn't say anything but Harry watched her eyes as she watched him, surveying his every move. This girl had such stunning eyes it was unbelievable. "Why are you telling me this?"

Harry shrugged. Was he even sure why he was telling her this? Guilt. "I feel real bad for accusing you of talking to Malfoy, for turning Gryffindor in. I want to apologize to you for that. And I wanted you to know the truth."

"Why?" she asked again, great confusion was spread across the gold of her eyes.

"Because it was stupid of me and I needed to tell someone. Anyone, and you were the one of everyone who saw through me." Harry quickly explained his reasons for why he'd done it and Ginny stared at him in disbelief. She shook her head at him, clearly displeased with the way he'd taken to the situation.

"Harry you really dropped in my eyes, you know that? For you to have brought up a fake call against your rivals, just to win? I know you say you did it because you snapped, but that's no excuse. Not a good one." 

Harry's eyes slanted after her as she strolled off, returning to the sixth years she'd entered the Tower with. He'd known she was going to be upset with him, but it didn't matter any longer. At least he'd told her then. Better that there be a possibility that she forgive and forget than none at all. Right?

  
  


Wow. If that hadn't taken Ginny Weasley by surprise. She had never thought Harry would've come forward and told her the truth about the call. Of course she already had known it was a bogus one, but she hadn't imagined that Mister Potter himself would've come forward to her. And then explain the whole situation? It was just, well ... weird.

She'd known that something would've been at Harry for him to deliberately pull this kind of stunt. And she had wanted to know what, but now that she knew she wasn't sure she wanted to. He had a sort of break down, and she'd been a cause of it. Or a part cause of it. He'd 'lost' everything as he'd said, including her. Ginny found that a pang of guilt sank low in her stomach. 

Never would she have thought that Harry was losing everything. Sure she'd known about Cho, and well, of course she knew about herself, and the loose to Malfoy. But putting it all together and this was really getting to Harry. She didn't really understand his reasoning, it was a lame excuse to come up with a call. All she could think of was that he snapped. In a desperation to reclaim something he'd acted in idiocy and accused Slytherin of cheating. 

Always she had found it easy to be honest with him, and she'd told him the truth. Well, other than the whole her telling Blaise thing, but he hadn't asked that of her ... this time, at least. He had indeed dropped levels according to her. She'd always thought of him much higher than she did at this moment. Harry Potter was sinking to a brand new low. She would've expected something like this out of a person like Malfoy, but never from Harry. Malfoy was always one to pull this kind of thing, or at least that's what she thought. She'd have never dreamed up this idea that it would be Harry.

Ginny was comparing Harry to Draco Malfoy. This kind of struck as odd. It was another one of those things she would've never seen herself doing. But then, she guessed the world was kind of going like that now. She shook her. 

At least it was over. Or as over as this ordeal would ever be. She was finished lying to Harry about talking to Blaise. She was done siding with Slytherin behind Gryffindor's back. She was finished with having to worry about anyone finding it. She was done. Harry coming to her just gave her reason to believe this was over. She sighed in relief. It was one thing she'd no longer need to fret over. Hopefully everything would return to her norm. And right in time for Christmas

Ginny could live with that idea. It was hard to believe Christmas was only a few weeks away. November had passed and the first snow had come that last week. The Hogwarts students were now a week into December and were eagerly awaiting one last week when they'd have their break.

The Weasleys would be staying at the school. Arthur and Molly were spending the holiday in Germany with three of their sons that were there; Bill, Fred and George. Ron and Ginny weren't about to go home to no one. They'd spend the two weeks vacation here in Gryffindor Tower along with Harry. It would be a much needed break away. Ginny was hoping to catch up on some of her reading. School work and the such had been getting in the way recently and she'd fallen behind with Tolkein's series. 

Making her way over to the sixth years, she took a seat near Rock and pulled out her Care of Magical Creatures homework that Hagrid had assigned a few days ago. She chatted quietly for a bit with the others while working on the log sheets. After some time passed the young Weasley retired to her dorm and her four-poster. A much needed break was soon to come.

A/n: Yea, I know, it's short, sue me. I got out what I needed to get out, and that's what counts. I also started chapter seven before even looking at this one. Meaning, I'm not all that focussed on this crap of a chapter. Cleared up that stupid call and that's what I set out to do. :glares: Lizi


	7. Edge of Suffering

Chapter Seven: Edge of Suffering

"Lucius?" Narcissa Malfoy wandered out of the kitchen into a hall. She rested her hand upon a railing and looked up the grand staircase just at the manor's entrance. "Lucius?" she called out again.

"Master Lucius not here miss," a feeble voice came from the top of the staircase. A small house elf, with wide yellow-green eyes cane bounding down two stairs at a time. She stopped on the sixth stair and looked to the lady of the house. "He has gone, he has. To pick up young Master Draco, he has."

Narcissa watched the elf. "Oh," she said, mildly surprised. She returned through the push open doors to the kitchen.

A rough hour later she heard the kitchen doors open behind her and turned her head slightly to see that Lucius was walking up to her. When he stood behind her he put a hand to her small waistline and kissed her jaw.

"Dear, where's Draco?"

At the sound of his son's name Lucius strutted away and sat in a chair at the kitchen table. He lent back and put his hand on his knee. "Off somewhere, being the stubborn prat he is."

Narcissa sighed. How often Draco and Lucius got in these tedious spats she'd lost count of long ago. She rolled her eyes and faced her husband. "Lucius, what're you two at about now?"

He scowled, his head kept low, and he looked up at her, raising his brow. "You think I know what's got your son worked up? There's always something that boy's angry over."

"He's got your stubbornness, Lucius. He always has." She approached him and ran her thumb across his cheek. He kissed it when it came to her lips and looked longingly up at her, his dark eyes full of intrigue. "But he's got your charm too. Can you at least try to get along with him, Lucius? It is Christmas."

"I will," he promised and stood, putting his hands on her hips. "We have some business we must straighten out then I promise there will be no more of this anger between us." He kissed her lips delicately.

"Good. Now go clean up and call Draco. Supper will be soon."

Lucius returned to the kitchen a few short minutes later and took his place at the head of the table. Draco had yet to come down. "Where is he?" Lucius asked quietly to himself. "DRACO! NOW!"

"I'm right here," drawled the younger Malfoy as he strolled into the kitchen.

"Draco," Narcissa said as she looked to her only child. God how he ever resembled Lucius. The platinum coloured hair, the tall, broad figure, that attitude of his, and even his glares and smirks. The only out of place part about Draco were his eyes. Lucius eyes had always been dark, black almost. Where Draco got those fine silver eyes, she'd never know.

"Mother," he acknowledged and slid into the back seat at the table. Narcissa placed food on the table and then sat across from him.

"Draco, we have business we have to settle tomorrow."

Draco glared at his father from the corner of his eye. "Whatever you say," he spat sarcastically and shook his head.

For Narcissa's sake, Lucius ignored Draco's lip. He'd deal with is son tomorrow. "I want you up early. None of that sleeping around all day. You hear me?"

"Yes, I hear you."

As a seventeen year old boy, Draco surely did a perfect job acting the part. Narcissa knew that the only thing that stopped her husband and her son from getting along was the fact that they were the spitting images of each other. Like father, like son. Draco's personality took directly after Lucius.

  
  


Sleepily, Ginny edged her way to the Gryffindor Common Room. She entered, stepping from the staircase leading to the girls' dormitories and gave off a wide yawn. She spotted Ron and Harry sitting around a table playing a game of Wizard's Chess by a fire. Asides from her, they were the only two in the entire room. Ginny doubted that there were many other students in Gryffindor who were staying the holiday. She made her way over to the two boys and took a seat in the lofty armchair in front of the fire, draping her legs over the chair's arm.

"Mornin' Gin," Ron said cheerily as he looked momentarily from his game with Harry.

"Gea' mornan'" she replied amongst another yawn and rubbed at her eyes. Ginny stretched out and flopped over the other arm, watching their game upside down. Her long, straight hair just brushed the floor.

Harry chuckled as he glanced sideways at her. "Your move Ron."

Ron moved his only remaining castle and looked to his kid sister. "Have a good sleep?"

"Meh," she shrugged, putting her palms flat on the floor, "not bad. Probably could've been better."

A silence fell as Harry and Ron took turn on turn moving their pieces across the checkered board. Ron was by far winning, having at least half his players left. Harry had maybe six pieces remaining and had lost his queen. 

"Where's Charlie heading?" Ron asked as it was Harry's turn. "China isn't it?"

"China?" Ginny questioned and rolled her eyes. Sometimes Ron was downright clueless about everything. "Honestly Ron, where do you come up with such daft things? It's Chile, complete different hemisphere compared to China."

"Charlie's going over to Chile?" Harry asked, intrigued, while Ron finally knocked over his king, winning the game of chess.

"That's what mum was saying. Come the new year. He'll be studying dragons over there for a bit." She sat up and blinked sharply as her head rushed. Shaking her head, Ginny grabbed the book off the table in front of her. She flipped the pages open as she repeatedly draped her legs over the arm.

"Not into reading upside down?" Ron joshed, grinning in her direction.

"Oh shut up Ron," she sneered and swept layers of hair off her face. Rounding on 'The Choices of Master Samwise', the only remaining chapter of book two, Ginny indulged herself in the author's words, soon to move onto the final book of the epic journey. 

  
  


"What did you want father?" Draco asked with poison on his tongue as he entered the Malfoy study. Lucius was sitting in front of a desk next the room's entrance. He was busy quickly scrolling something on a piece of parchment.

"Come in. Shut the door," he ordered, never looking up from his work.

Draco obeyed and closed the doors to the room as he came in further. He took a seat in a leather chair in front of the room's fire place, slouching as he surveyed his father. An angry glare written all over his features.

"My God Draco, what has gotten into you?" Lucius asked, finally putting down his quill. He looked to his son and it was like looking into a mirror, only the reflection he saw was much younger, had shorter hair and lighter eyes. 

"I'm old enough," Draco responded shortly, narrowing his eyes. He knew Lucius would pick up on the subject he was talking about. "I'm eighteen in two months. I'm old enough and you damn well know it."

Lucius sighed. "So this is what it's about?"

"Isn't this what it's always about?" Draco asked with a lash of sarcasm. With frustration he ran his fingers through his platinum hair, slicking the fallen strands off his face.

"It doesn't matter. This is what we had to talk about anyway."

"Good, then for Christ's sake get talking," Draco said and acted as if the shelves of books had suddenly become the most interesting thing he'd seen in a long time. 

"Draco, you better change that tone with me or I swear boy, you'll regret it."

"I'm so sorry father. Please, do continue," he threw back at his father, mocking the innocence of a five year old. 

Lucius ignored the boy's wicked comment and continued, trying as hard as he could to remain civil. "You'll have to wait Draco. You have to be eighteen. You know that as well as I."

"That's in two bloody months. Why can't we just do it now?" Draco returned his line of vision upon his father, glaring sourly at him.

"This can't be rushed! Our Dark Lord wants you just as much as you want him, but you must wait."

"I don't see why. What does two months really matter? If I'm loyal now, I'll be loyal then. This is stupid shit."

Lucius' shortness rose, but he was able, for now, to keep it to himself. "Patience," he hissed at Draco with a menacing glare. "You don't get it, do you? This is not about age. Of course two months makes no difference. It's all about patience. You have to learn to wait for what's coming to you."

"I've been patient for the last eight years of my life. Is that not fucking patient enough?"

"You watch that tongue boy. I don't want to hear it from you." Lucius brought a hand to his head and rubbed at his sore eyes. He hadn't been sleeping well lately.

"It's not going to be done in February anyway," Draco sighed angrily as he spoke. "I'll be in school. I'll have to wait until the bloody Easter holiday."

"And so you wait. You'll be waiting for as long as it takes."

"I don't wish to wait until then," he said stubbornly, narrowing his liquid metal eyes at the superior Death Eater. "I don't see why it just can't be done now. I'm ready father. Do you not get that?"

Lucius groaned, "Have you not been listening to what I just told you? Jesus Draco, it's not I who controls this. It is He. If for some reason Voldemort thinks you are ready in these two weeks than so be it. But don't count on it boy."

Standing, Draco stormed from the study. He crossed the upstairs hallway, passing the staircase that lead to the main level and his mother. Upon entering his chambers at the opposite end of the house he furiously slammed the door shut.

A few short moments passed and Lucius emerged from the study. He looked to Narcissa who was standing at the top of the stairs. She changed glances between her husband and her son's closed door. She slowly approached Draco's room.

"Draco?" she called softly. But Draco, being the stubborn teenage boy he was, never answered.

Coming up from behind, Lucius reassuringly wrapped his arms around her waist. "He'll be alright," he muttered in her ear and lightly kissed her cheek.

"Of course he will," she said with confidence. "He's a Malfoy, isn't he?" She paused and pivoted to look at her husband's inky eyes. He kissed her once. "I just worry about him."

"Well don't. He's strong on his own. Now come." He took her by the wrist and pulled her after him, back in the direction of the study. With a grin he pushed open the doors to the master chambers and brought her inside, only to close them behind him.

  
  


Christmas had come and gone and only four days remained of the break. Ginny came into the Common Room to find the two seventh years playing yet another game of chess. She swore that they spent the entire holiday playing that stupid, waste of a time game. 

She shook her head as she picked up her winter cloak. Only two other Gryffindors had stayed the break and they were both in their second year. Ginny, Ron and Harry had taken it privilege to use the Common Room as their own personal facility and had many belongings strewn all over the place. Ginny pulled the cloak on over her shoulders.

"Gin, if you're heading out, wear your scarf," Ron advised, playing out his role as the protective older brother. 

Ginny smiled and picked her Gryffindor scarf up. Wrapping it around her neck, she fastened the cloak and pulled her hair over her shoulders. She made her way out through the portrait hole and onto the school grounds. She found a stamped down path that would lead her to the lake and followed it. Once at the lake's perimeter she crossed her arms of her chest and starred over the icy surface.

An owl screeched overhead and the young Weasley diverted her attention upward. Not a single cloud was found in the winter blue sky and the sun burned brightly to her left over the Forbidden Forest.

With a yelp, Ginny lunged forward as she felt a sudden probing at her sides. She looked about to find Blaise now standing to her side. "Blaise?" she questioned, a bit shocked. "Where'd you come from? You haven't been here this whole time."

"Ah, but I have. I was just blessed enough to spend it in the hospital wing. Fell violently ill the day before the break and although I was better two or three days ago Pomphrey insisted on keeping me there."

"What are you doing out here then? In, let's go," she pointed in the school's direction and forced him to march back to its promising warmth.

"What were you thinking?" she demanded as he sat at a table in the hall, removing his thick cloak. "Really. You've been sick for a week and a half and you come out in that weather? A bit moronic, don't you think?" She sat next to him and placed her cloak on the table's end.

Blaise shrugged and picked a mug of hot cocoa up from the table; those house elves were good. He passed it to her than picked up one for himself. "I saw you head your way down there and thought it would be a nice thing to come say hi. Is that simple thing not appreciated in this day and age?" He watched as she clutched the warm mug in both her hands and brought it to her mouth.

Ginny rolled her eyes and put the mug back down on the table. She rubbed her hands together to create some friction and perhaps supply her with heat. Blaise laughed and took her hands in his own. He slowly began to massage the warmth back into them. 

A queer sort of silence feel and Ginny pulled back her hands. An interesting thought than slithered into her mind, although she wasn't sure where it came from. What if Blaise supported You-Know-Who? After all he was a Slytherin. What if his parents were Death Eaters? Ginny shuddered at the possibility.

"What?" Blaise said, bringing her forward from her world of thoughts. She looked at him, the questions still there. "What is it?" he persisted, reading her face like he would the Daily Prophet.

"Nothing," she lied, not wishing to pose him the question. She drained her mug of the cocoa and slung the scarf lazily about her neck. She stood and draped the black cloak over her left arm. "I'll talk to you later," she mumbled her quick goodbye and began to walk away.

"Ginny," he said, catching up to her in the school's main hall. He put his hand at her waist and walked around to face her, seizing her from walking away. "Are you sure there's nothing bothering you?"

It was kind of odd that he was being so persistent about the whole matter. Or at least that's what Ginny thought. "It's nothing Blaise, as I told you."

He gave her a very cynical look. He may have been stupid for going out in the cold after being sick, but he was not stupid about this. Something was troubling her. He snacked his hand to the small of her back and pulled her an inch or so closer. Looking to her golden eyes, Blaise searched for an answer, but never found one. "Alright," he ushered and softly kissed the tip of her nose. He withdrew his hand from her and moved on, leaving her there with even more questions coursing through her head.

  
  


"Draco!" Lucius hollered as he pounded his fist on his son's door. Ever since that second day Draco had come back for the holiday he had spent it up, locked away in his room. Stupid boy. "Draco, stop acting like a child and come out here." Lucius was about to pound on the door, but it opened and Draco stood there, leering at him. 

"What?" he asked maliciously, full of attitude.

"Let's go." Lucius briskly sauntered away, heading down the stairs and turning in direction of the manor dungeons. Draco was forced to walk at a quick pass to keep up with him.

Pausing at the entrance, Lucius pulled the door open. Draco's brow lowered in great confusion. "What the hell is this?" he asked, following his father deep into the dungeons. Draco didn't even know the dungeons spread this far underground. 

Lucius came to a stop at a wooden door and yanked it open. It was far back, at the possible end of the Malfoy Dungeons. "Boy, are you coming in or not?" Lucius' black eyes beat into Draco who refused to enter the room.

"Not until you answer my god damn question." He stood there stubbornly, torches casting shadows over his pale face. "What the fuck is going on?"

Approaching his son, Lucius backhanded him without really thinking. He watched crimson blood come to the boy's lip. "I told you to watch your tongue. Now come on."

Draco watched his father stalk into the room as he wiped the blood on his lip away with his thumb. Curiosity got the better of him and he entered. It was a small room. Small, but dark, lit by only two torches. In the centre stood his father and two figures stepped to his sides, both were heavily cloaked. Lucius raised a hand over his shoulder and Draco watched as he beckoned, with a long finger, that he come closer. 

Somewhat edgy and nervous, the young Malfoy walked further into the dark room and stood behind his father.

"Come forward Draco," Lucius ordered and soon his son was standing before him. He noted that Draco's silver eyes were darkened and perplexed. He had no idea what was in store for him. "Are you ready boy? As ready as you have claimed to be?" 

It all came clear. Draco understood what was going on. This was his time. Voldemort was most likely standing in the shadows behind him, ready to accept him as a Death Eater. Draco swallowed hard and replied, "I've been ready my whole life."

An amused smirk came to Lucius' face and the men to his sides pulled down their hoods. On, the man to Lucius' right, was a tall and stocky man. He was Eugene Avery. The other, the shortest and also the slimmest was Leonard Nott, Melanie's father. Lucius nodded his head for his son to turn around and Draco willingly complied.

"So, I have the second Malfoy," came a snakelike voice from the darkness before the blonde student. Red, catlike slits appeared before Draco and an extremely gaunt and pale man stepped forward. "I was thinking it was about time that Lucius' prodigy was to join my services."

Draco deeply inhaled as Voldemort walked a full circle around him. He stood very still and straight, waiting for what was to come next.

"I normally don't allow this until a man becomes eighteen," came the foul hiss. "I like to be certain that one can handle what is to come to them. But as you generously pointed out you are of that age in two months and I quote 'you have been ready your whole life'. Is that not right Draco?"

Nodding his understanding, Draco waited for his Lord to continue.

"I've been interested in you for sometime now. You're like your father and so far Lucius has proved himself to be a faithful servant. I assume that the sooner you are with me the better off I am. I also have more uses for you than you could ever possibly dream of. I have no fear that you will be anything but one of my most loyal and one of my strongest Death Eaters. Do I believe wrong in any way Draco?"

Draco shook his head. Of course he wasn't wrong. Draco had been loyal to Voldemort since he was ten years old - if not before then. This was finally to be his time.

"What was that?" Voldemort asked, demanding that the young Malfoy speak.

"No, you do not believe wrong in any way."

"Good, because the consequences are great if you did. They are even greater if you betray me." He paused and looked over the boy in front of him. "You will be great. Lucius, you might wish to brace your prodigy."

That was it? No big fancy oath? None of that? But then, why would Voldemort need to make long oaths with future Death Eaters? Did he not know who was loyal and who wasn't? And if anyone proved to be disloyal, Voldemort would kill them, so it didn't really matter anyway. An oath can always be broken.

Lucius nodded and grabbed a firm grip on Draco's shoulders, ready to support his son in his moment of glory.

"Roll up your sleeve Draco," Voldemort hissed as he withdrew his wand from the depths of his robes.

Draco pulled the sleeve of his robe up passed his forearm and then stuck his arm forward. Taking a deep breath, Draco clenched his free hand into a tight fist. 

"Don't bite your tongue son," Lucius advised quietly from behind.

He had been ready to do just so. Bite down on his tongue to cease from screaming when the time came. But Lucius had a point, there was a possibility that Draco could bite so hard he might sever the tip of his tongue.

"I trust you will be loyal Draco. Either that or you will face the dire consequences." Without warning Voldemort thrust his wand tip onto Draco's flesh.

The boy bit down hard on his bottom lip and shut his eyes tightly, turning his head from the pain. Every muscle in his body went rigid as Voldemort burned the Dark Mark into his skin. Draco soon tasted fresh blood from his lip and he quivered under the white-hot pain coursing from his arm throughout the rest of his shell. 

As quick as it had started, the pain was over. It was all gone save for that pain that tingled in his arm. Draco watched as his Lord removed the wand from his skin where there was now a darkened brand. The irritated skin around the mark was glowing pink. 

"Welcome, my son," spoke Voldemort in that treacherous serpentine voice, "you are now one of us." He cackled malignantly then disappeared back into the dark shadows. Draco had to wonder if Voldemort was always there, always in his house. 

Avery and Nott vanished and Lucius tugged on his son's shoulders. Draco followed his father out of the dungeon room in silence and realized he could still taste the iron of his blood. He wiped his mouth with the back of his hand and pulled it away to see streaks of deep red blood.

"Congratulations Draco," Lucius spat acerbically when the two had come to the main levels of Malfoy Manor. Draco rubbed at his sore and freshly branded arm. "Now you'll know what it's like to live the life of a Death Eater."

Unsure if that was a good comment or a bad, Draco simply nodded. He was now a Death Eater. A loyal servant to the Dark Lord. He would be forever proving himself and his devotion. Draco recalled Voldemort's comment, "I also have more uses for you than you could ever possibly dream of". What had he meant by that? What was in store for Draco? He had to wonder where his loyalties were going to get him. 

  
  


A/n: Another chapter up and done. Thanks again to all you who have reviewed. You people are so amazing! Quick note. If had this little itch in the back of my head for awhile now and I can't get the answer until next Sunday (when I go to my cousin's). So, here's my question: if anyone knows any song with the phrase 'Unspoken Words' in it, please tell me. It's either Linkin Park or off the Red Hot Chili Peppers' Californication cd - but I don't have them here and never have the time to do a detailed search. So if anyone is completely music smart and has a slight idea at the song I'm talking about please give me a shout in either a review or email (prairie_dog_blues@hotmail.com). Thanks so much, it's been really bothering me for sometime now! 

Anyone watch American Idol? Clay's going to win! Lizi


	8. Our Love Is Pinned Down and Abused

Chapter Eight: Our Love Is ... Pinned Down and Abused

Ginny had enjoyed spending the remainder of her break with Blaise. Honestly, why wouldn't she have enjoyed it? After all, it was Blaise. She'd had an awkward feeling around him the day after, but she finally let that slip and had become comfortable around him. Today, this Saturday, marked the last day of the vacation; the day everyone would be returning to the school.

"You aren't coming to Hogsmeade with Harry and me?"

As every year promised, the students who stayed behind for the break were allowed to spend that final afternoon in the wizarding village and return to the castle with the others.

"No," Ginny muttered as she continued to read the concluding book of her trilogy.

"Why not?" Ron asked as he leaned against the back of his sister's chair, peering at the tiny font of her book. "You're not going on your own, are you?"

Cocking her head back, Ginny looked up to Ron's blue eyes. "Of course not," came her reply. Still being in her pyjamas, the redheaded Weasley stood and made the small trek to her dorm to change, Ron stared like a baffled twit after her, wondering what she was up to.

Of course she wasn't going down to Hogsmeade all on her lonesome. Not only would that be absurd, but also it would be dreadfully boring. Blaise had arranged, only the previous night, to meet her at the castle entrance and head to the small town with her. And Ginny couldn't help herself but comply with this. 

Arriving at the doors, Blaise not in sight, Ginny leaned against the frigid stone wall and crossed her arms over her chest. She waited there for the Slytherin.

"Shall we be off Miss Weasley?" Blaise appeared to her side and Ginny's face glowed with a smile. He pulled the door open and followed her out.

Ginny shook her head and tutted at Blaise as he rubbed his hands together. "You know you'll just catch cold again. Unless you like Pepper-Up Potion, I suggest you wear mitts."

Pushing her lightly with his hip, Blaise knocked Ginny's footing from the packed-down path into the two feet of fresh snow. "It's not that cold," he added as he shook the snow from his boots, stepping onto Hogsmeade ground.

She hated that he was right and she was wrong, but it was true. It was surprisingly warm for the beginning of January and Ginny could feel moisture at her fingertips. Taking off her mittens and stuffing them in a pocket, she narrowed her eyes up at him. Blaise grinned with the triumph of being right.

"Besides, even if I were cold, I have a way of keeping myself warm." His grin widened as he slid his fingers between hers. Ginny felt an odd tingle course from the tips of her fingers to the base of her shoulders as he'd done so and she smiled away, almost shyly.

"Butterbeer?" he offered, but was already lightly pulling at her hand. Obliging, Ginny followed him to the Three Broomsticks. Upon entrance, they grabbed two butterbeers from Rosmerta and took up a small, round table at the back of the inn. 

Silence was intolerable; Ginny did not like it one bit. It gave her time to think, and that dreaded question popped back into her mind. The same one, she'd never asked him the first time, and didn't want to ask him this time. But she felt like she needed the answer.

"What's wrong?" Blaise questioned as he put his half-drained mug back on the table. His dark eyes searched her for answers.

"Nothing," she lied for the second time about the matter. 

"You're a bad liar," he informed, leaning back in his seat. "You can't even come up with a good excuse. Nothing never cuts it as a good answer. You could come up with something like 'Ron's being such a prat' or 'You know that guy, his name is Blaise? Yes, he's a real git'. I might believe you then."

Ginny chuckled and looked across the table at him. "I don't think we'd ever have a problem with that one."

"Well that's a good thing. But honestly Gin, what's up? And don't tell me nothing, your eyes give you away?" She quizzically looked at him. "You don't hide your emotions very well," he added.

"Unlike some people I never had the need to hide my emotions," she spat without thinking twice. 

"I resent that."

"It's true. All you bloody Slytherins are like that. You, Malfoy, Baddock," she added in a few other Slytherin names. "I only ever see two emotions on your face; pride and glory."

Blaise shrugged. "That's just the way we were raised, to hide our emotions."

"I don't see why," she argued back.

"You've never really had to deal with half of what most of us had to deal with. So, you don't really understand it all. Most of us were taught to hide what we were feeling."

"Were you taught to put others down too?" she sneered sardonically. 

"In most cases. But if you're talking about Potter and his friends, they often deserve what they have coming."

"So Hermione deserves to be called a Mudblood because of her parentage? Is that what you're saying?" Her eyes narrowed with animosity.

"I've never called her that."

"Malfoy has."

"I can't speak for Draco."

"He is your best mate. That does say something."

"Gin, where the hell is all this hostility coming from?" he asked her. This was foolish argument and he didn't really want to hear her beat down at him. What had suddenly gotten into her?

Ginny had known she'd said some stupid things, but it was rare for her to think before she spoke. She'd regret some of it later. "Blaise," she sighed, knowing she'd have to ask him sooner or later, "are your parents Death Eaters?"

Slightly stunned with her question, he blinked sharply twice and cleared his throat. "My father was," came his solemn reply, "but he died when I was five."

Feeling a bit bad for bringing that up, Ginny looked away from his eyes and down to her empty glass the Butterbeer had once been in. She still needed to know the answer to her next question and so she posed it. "Where do you lie with all this? And Blaise, give me an honest answer."

"Probably more to the Dark Side than you'd like to hear," his answer was low, but loud enough so that Ginny could hear him speak. "I doubt I'll ever be a Death Eater, but I don't follow Dumbledore and all his glory." After a couple seconds that seemed like an eternity, his voice came back, "I'm sorry if you don't like to hear that Ginny, but that's just where my alliances are." He stood and dropped enough wizards' coins on the table to cover both drinks. He'd turned his back on her and was about to walk away, but he felt a grasp on his arm and her chin came to rest on his shoulder.

"You're right," she spoke softly into his ear. "I didn't want to hear that, not really, but I had to. It may not be something I like, but I guess I'm going to have to work around it." She planted a gentle kiss on his cheek and took hold of his hand. Blaise looked back at her and beamed. "Come on." She led him from the inn and made her way to Honeydukes. Always had to get her Bertie Bott's.

She froze as she entered, having spotted Harry and Ron in the candy shop. They just had to be there, and by her jellybeans too. 

"Gin?" Blaise questioned, about to let go of her hand, thinking that's what she wanted. Thinking she wanted to hide this from her brother and Harry. But it wasn't.

"They'll have to find out eventually, right?" Ginny pulled him toward the bins of beans and she released his hand, only to scoop up her blessed peanut butter flavoured beans. Ron looked at her with a look of horror pledged across his face. She took a scoop each of strawberry and orange and then headed to pay, Blaise right behind her. 

"That went smoothly," he muttered, exiting the store and taking her hand again. Ginny slipped the small bag of candy into her pocket. 

"Zabini," came Ron's growl and the two whirled to see the Gryffindors approach. "What the hell are you doing with my sister?"

"What does it look like I'm doing with your sister Weasley?" Damn. Blaise couldn't make any knocks about the Weasleys anymore. He'd just have to find other things to torment Ron about. 

For a half moment Ron didn't say anything, probably because he couldn't think of anything to say to the Slytherin. "Ginny?" he questioned his younger sibling. "You actually like being around this prick? He's no better than Malfoy."

"If I didn't like being around him, would I be with him right now?"

Ron's cheeks flushed as he cowered at his sister. "I can't believe you Ginny."

This was so unfair. It wasn't as if she was staring down Ron's future relationship with Hermione. He had no right pinning her for hanging around with Blaise just because he was in Slytherin. 

"Piss off Weasley," Blaise lashed. "Ginny's old enough to make her own choices, she doesn't need your help."

"Zabini, you have your's coming."

"What are you going to do Potter? Let me beat you again in Quidditch? I'm so scared. Or are you going to bring up another hoax call?" Blaise shook his head and watched Harry and Ron storm off, heading to the Three Broomsticks. Turning his attention back to Ginny, he sighed heavily, "Sorry."

"For?" she questioned, not fully comprehending what it was he was apologizing for.

"Snapping at Potter and Weasley like that. Weasley is your brother, and Potter's a friend, I'm sorry."

"That they deserved," she said with a remote chuckle and smiled at him. 

  
  


"Ginny!" Quin's voice echoed down the station, causing Ginny to turn and look at the brunette running after her. Quinlan paused when she'd come to Ginny and looked at Zabini. Quin surveyed the fact that Ginny's hand was wrapped around the seventh year's arm. 

"Quin ... Blaise. Blaise ... Quin." She felt stupid doing an introduction. Quin's eyes widened, but she said nothing, she only nodded slowly. 

"I'll see you later Gin," Blaise mumbled, turning to her. He kissed her nose, smiled and was off to chase down Malfoy. 

"Let's go," Quin said as she grabbed Ginny's wrist, yanking her off in the direction of the school. "We're finding Lynda and then the three of us are going to have a small discussion about your break."

"If that's what you want."

Forty-five minutes later, Ginny found herself up in their sixth year dormitory with Quin and Lynda, explaining the whole situation. She skipped over the boring, tedious details of the first week that they didn't really want to hear and went straight to the first day she'd known Blaise had been around for the holiday.

"I can see there's something here between you and Zabini," Quin said with a devious grin. "An older Slytherin, and we'd thought it was Malfoy."

"We were definitely wrong Quin," Lynda said. "Does your brother know about this?"

Ginny filled them in next about the whole Hogsmeade incident and they didn't seem shocked one bit. 

"Can you trust him Gin? I mean, Zabini is a Slytherin?"

"Don't give me that Lynda," advised Ginny. "I don't want to hear it from you."

"She's got a point though," Quin put it her opinion. "First off he's in Slytherin. Second off his best mate his Malfoy. I mean, Gin, how do you know you can trust him?"

"I know because he's told me all I need to know. I don't want to listen to this from you both. So let's, for the time being, drop the whole thing." 

A glance of nervousness was exchanged between Lynda and Quinlan. They didn't really care if Ginny could trust Zabini, they didn't and they weren't about to. Not anytime soon. The three headed out of the room and made way to the Great Hall for supper, chattering aimlessly as they went about Quin and Lynda's break.

  
  


Ron spent the entire return feast glaring down the table at his sister. How stupid was she being? Getting into a relationship with a Slytherin, and Zabini no less. The only way she could get any worse would be if she got into something involving Malfoy. For Merlin's sake this was Zabini! He was only Malfoy's right-hand man. He'd pestered her for how many years and now she was willingly getting into a relationship with him. 

Taking a spoonful of mashed potatoes, Ron looked quickly to the Slytherins and watched Zabini. He then looked back to his sister who was seated several seats away. It was a disgrace to the whole Weasley family. His parents had thought it was bad when Fred and George had wanted to open a joke shop (mind you, they are rather successful now). What about Ginny having some sort of connection with a Slytherin? They'd have a fit!

"Ron, let Ginny make her own mistakes," Hermione said, and Ron turned his attention to her. Ron and Harry had filled her in about the run-in they'd had with Ginny and Zabini in Hogsmeade. "You won't be able to do anything for her."

"But it's stupid. Zabini, what is she thinking?"

"Really Hermione," Harry pitched. "Ginny's likely going to find herself in a dangerous situation here. Can we really sit by and let her do that?"

"Can we do anything to stop here?" Hermione said rationally, they were both acting so immature over the whole situation. Of course she wasn't Zabini's biggest fan, but if Ginny wanted to be around him than Ginny was going to be around him. Ron just didn't like it because he was a Slytherin and Malfoy's friend. Harry, for the same reasons, but he probably also wished he were in Zabini's place right about now. 

"We should be able to," Ron cursed, glaring at his sister even more.

"Well you aren't going to be able to. Ginny'll have to learn on her own who it's wise to hang around with and who it isn't." Hermione prayed that Ginny'd be all right and that she wouldn't have to regret not stopping Ginny from digging herself a hole. She didn't like this relationship that had sprouted between the two, but what could she really do? Ginny was sixteen years old, she was old enough to take care of her own and didn't need her brother and his friends telling her otherwise. Now if only Hermione could make Ron see that.

  
  


"Gin, I hear you've hooked up with a Slytherin," Rock sat across the Gryffindor table from him. He smirked from ear to ear, his grey-green eyes sparkling. 

"Where does everyone hear this from?" she muttered to herself in questioning.

"Welcome to Hogwarts! School of 'no-secrets-everything-is-everyone's-business'," Rock chuckled at his own joke. "That's pretty rough, a Gryff and a Slyth, didn't think that day would ever come to be. Guess you got to be careful around that lot, no?"

"Shut up Rock," Ginny said firmly, not wanting to listen to him speak. "I don't really fancy hearing any of this from any of you, so if you'd be so kind as to DROP IT and move on with your lives, that would be great. I'd appreciate it oh so much." She stared down at her plate and cursed.

She should've seen this coming. Of course news of her and Blaise would get around the school more rapid than a cheetah catching an antelope, and of course nobody would be accepting of it. Least of all the Gryffindors and Slytherins. She should've known, but she'd played a fool. A naive fool in the sake of love. 

Shaking her head at her own ignorance, Ginny looked across the room and locked eyes with Blaise. She saw him give her an encouraging smile, but didn't return it. Everyone's persecutions made her so angry. Really, what was their problem? It wasn't their business if she chose to date Blaise, it was hers. And bloody hell she would do whatever it was she wanted to do. If anyone had a problem with that they could move on with their lives and forget about it. Especially Ron.

  
  


Poor Ginny. Blaise knew she wasn't dealing with this well. What with Ron heckling her, Harry doing the same and just about every other Gryffindor, she could barely handle it. He watched as a boy from her year sat across from her and an irate look came to her features. He too was obviously bothering her. 

When Ginny looked up to him he gave her a comforting smile, but it didn't seem to take any effect. The poor girl, letting everyone get to her. She had to have seen it coming. A Gryffindor and a Slytherin - as if that was going to get no sour comments. She just had difficulty shrugging them off. Blaise, on the other hand, didn't have that problem.

He didn't have a brother or sister to get hounded by, nor did he have anyone from the older grades to badger him. Luckily the Slytherins of the younger grades were probably too afraid of him to say anything. But it's not as if Blaise would care either way. The only ones Blaise had to contend with were the Slytherins of his year.

Did he really care what Vince and Greg said? Nope. Or the girls? Not really. Sure, Pansy's comments kind of stung, and there were worse to come, but those were easy to shrug off. The only remarks that somewhat affected him were those made by Draco when he'd first stepped of the Express and had seen Blaise with Ginny. But Draco had kept quiet after that, unusual for the Malfoy, but none the less Blaise enjoyed the boy's silence. 

  
  


A/n: Hi there again. I thought I'd actually sit down and write this weekend, so here was the result of that. Anyway, I'd just like to give a few thank you's.** Selene-chan** thanks so much, your reviews mean a lot to me. Sorry I can't update quicker. I too would like to, but sometimes that just doesn't happen. Thanks again. **Polar-zephyr **thanks to you too! And I sense a thing for cucumbers? :chuckles: **Tristan **thank you so much for the song! That was really getting to me, but now I know. And yes, all my chapter titles are phrases from songs. **Everyone** thanks so much for reviewing! 

Ah. Unfortunately I had to alter the phrase for this title. The actual lyric is 'our love is like water pinned down and abused', but that would make for one long chapter title and really, I don't think I need to talk about water. The phrase just worked well for the chapter and I couldn't help put it in (I also thought the phrase didn't have the water in it at first, so I kind of addicted myself to an unreal phrase and couldn't get it out of my head). Lizi


	9. Message on the Pavement

A/n: I think we all have masked angels in this world, though some people don't know who they are. Ari knows she's my angel in disguise, but I think there's a couple others out there who don't know it. Thanks to all who are my backbone of support; this one goes out to you. 

Chapter Nine: Message on the Pavement

"Watch yourself Gin," Lynda warned. The most dull hour of the week, otherwise known as Dark Arts, had finally come to an end and the three Gryffindor sixth years chatted idly as they left Professor Stanley's classroom. Lynda and Quinlan walked side by side as Ginny walked ahead, backward so she could partake in the conversation.

"Has either of you started that Potions report Snape assigned?" 

"Yes, and no Quin you aren't rewording mine. Do your own work."

"Lynda, you're such a party pooper." Quin looked over to Ginny, her eyes wide and pleading.

"Sorry Quin," Ginny chuckled, taking her steps slowly. She shrieked in surprise as a pair of unseen hands wrapped around her middle.

"Have a good class?" Blaise asked with a small laugh, pulling her hair over her shoulder and delicately kissing her cheek.

"You're such a prat." She managed to squirm free from his grip and turned about to face him. Quin and Lynda kept on their way to Professor Binns' class.

"I get that a lot," he said proudly with a deviant grin. Playfully, like a seven year old child, Ginny stuck her tongue out at him and glared. 

"Have fun in class, _love_," she taunted as she swaggered away, following in the direction of the other students of her year. 

"You know I will," he called down the hall after her, heading into Stanley's room.

Shaking her head at him, Ginny turned almost crashing into Malfoy.

"Watch it weasel," Malfoy drawled, skirting around her.

Ginny cussed under her breath as she ran to catch Quin and Lynda. Malfoy may be Blaise's best mate, but Ginny would have to be paid serious amounts of gold to ever get along with him.

* * *

Blaise sat in the Slytherin Common Room, across a table from Draco, working on Arithmancy problems Professor Vector had assigned that week's class.

"Blaise, pass me that bottle of ink." Draco stretched his arm across the table but the container of jet-coloured ink was still out of his grasp. 

Finishing the problem he was working on, Blaise picked up the bottle and looked up to put it in Draco's hand. Something caught his eye as he did so and he grabbed Draco's forearm, pulling back the boy's sleeve. Blaise watched as the black contours of Voldemort's Dark Mark stared up at him. "Were you not going to say anything?" Blaise asked, dropping Draco's arm and looked over at the blonde.

"No."

A little peeved with the answer Draco had given him, Blaise pressed further, demanding to know more. "Why not? You've only been waiting for this to happen since you were eleven, you think you could've told me."

"I don't know where your loyalties lie." 

"What?!" Blaise's jaw dropped. "You know exactly who I'm loyal to, don't be stupid." Although he was in a way yelling, his voice was hushed to a volume only Draco would be able to hear.

"Am I supposed to? I mean Blaise, you are fucking that filthy little Weasley, how can you pack her, a Gryffindor no less, and remain loyal to our Dark Lord?"

"This has nothing to do with Ginny and you bloody know that. You know I'm more loyal to Voldemort than I ever would be with Dumbledore and his stupid promises and ways of thinking. It's not as if I'm going to turn you in or anything Draco, I am your friend, you can trust me."

"Than become a Death Eater." Draco looked down to the paper below his quill and seeing that it was stained with several blots of ink, crumpled it and capped the tip of his quill.

Blaise shook his head. "I'm not like you; I may be loyal to Voldemort, but not loyal enough to become a Death Eater."

"Than how can I trust you?"

"Christ Draco, what are you going to do, only trust Death Eaters? People like you? I told you, I'm your friend. I'm not going to run and turn you in. You know that and you know where I stand on this."

"And Weasley?" Draco looked back across the table at Blaise and put a hand through his hair, flattening it even more so to his head. Blaise hesitated on answering. "Zabini?" Draco persisted.

Blaise sighed. "Ginny knows where I stand, just as I know where she stands. Malfoy stop being a stupid arse about this."

Chuckling to himself, Draco looked back to the new sheet of paper and traced his finger over its yellowish surface, shaking his head slowly left and right. "You just never know who you can trust these days." He'd said it almost as a mindless joke, shrugging of their argument and making it seem like a pointless conversation with no purpose. 

His fist clenched under the table, and Blaise was almost ready to hit Draco. The boy was a stupid prat. Period. Blaise really had to question himself as to why he'd ever choose to be around Draco. Than, he never had much choice, did he? It was either stay to his studious and live a boring, dull life teenagers aren't supposed to live, or chum around with those of his house. Besides, Draco wasn't all that bad, on a good. 

  
  


It was nearing seven o'clock on Saturday night and Ginny sat alone in the dingy library, pouring over books for her Ancient Runes essay. She came to a page in on of the books that looked as if it may be helpful. Uncapping the lid of her ink bottle she dipped her quill in and ready to write any note she may need, she read:

_ Ogham is an ancient alphabet used by Celtic pagans in divination and in hand-signing. The alphabet consists of   
twenty characters, or runes, that are all named after sacred trees. The writings, often inscripted on stone or wood,   
are more commonly read in a vertical manner, though cases have been found where the writing is horizontal._

"Hey Gin." 

Ginny's quill scratched a messy line about her page as she was startled by the unexpected voice. Looking up, she found Ben's pale blue eyes standing above her. She watched as the Hufflepuff took a seat at the head of the table next to her.

"Ancient Runes?" he asked innocently, sparking up casual conversation.

She nodded as she wrote the final point she was able to take from the paragraph. "Thought I might as well get a good start on it while I have the time." She looked over at him and smiled, but Ben looked a bit off. He pushed wavy brown hair over the back of his and gulped nervously.

"Anything wrong?"

"Um, well now that you've mentioned it ... we were wondering, or well, Hannah, Susan and the others that is, I'm just playing the messenger ... well, rumour's been heard that you're seeing that seventh year Slytherin ... uh, Zabini," he stammered with uneasiness as he spoke and his blue eyes darkened, contrasting with the yellow about his pupil. He didn't make eye contact with her, and his hands fidgeted in his lap.

Although unsure how to go about answering the question Ben hadn't really asked, but had wanted to, she was about to answer when hands clapped down on her shoulders. Tilting her head back, Ginny came to find the boy in question. Coincidence. 

"Blaise, this is Ben ... Ben, uh Blaise," she awkwardly introduced and exchanged a glance between the two. Ben nodded in acknowledgement and without any further words he stalked from the library, a lightly vexed look on his lowered brow. 

Blaise had kept his on the Hufflepuff as he left, and he took up the now empty chair Ben had been sitting in. "Damn Mudblood," he mumbled and looked back to Ginny, "what the hell was his bloody problem?"

Her mouth dropped open and Ginny swept her belongings into her bag, on her exit of the library she dropped the Runes book on a cart.

"Ginny?" Blaise caught up to her and grabbed her wrist, pulling her to him.

"I can't believe you," she blurted, furiously looking into his stare. "I thought you didn't hold parentage against someone. Is that not what you told me?"

Everything clicked and her anger at him made sense. "I said I never had with Granger."

"But you will with Ben? That's a bunch of shit Blaise."

"Sorry Gin, it slipt. I didn't mean any-"

"I don't know about this," she threw at him in an angry huff. Blaise gaped, his eyes wide. 

"I don't think before I speak," he tried to reason, "that was a classic example. Look, it's just something I said. I didn't really mean-"

She threw her hand up to silence him, cutting him off, and yanking the other hand from his clutches. "I'm not sure I want to listen to your excuses Zabini."

Blaise exhaled sharply. He wasn't sure of what he could to do make matters any better, so he did the only thing that came to mind. He put a hand to her waist, pulled her into him and kissed her. She was stiff at first, perhaps a cause of astoundment, but slowly eased into his embrace, deepening his kiss. 

"I really am sorry Ginny," he pulled away after a moment and looked to her amber-coloured eyes. He smiled down upon her, lightly kissed her nose than withdrew to his respective House Common Room. 

"Damn him," she cursed to herself as she edged her way to the staircase that would bring her to her own Common Room. He was one of those guys she just couldn't stay mad at for very long and seemed as though he was always right, even when he was wrong. "Pickled frogs' legs," she muttered the password to the Fat Lady and, scowling, she entered Gryffindor Tower. She found Quin and Lynda in their dorm and the two could clearly view the distraught look on Ginny's face. 

"What's got you?" Quin asked, sitting on the end of Ginny's bed. Lynda came up and sat on her bed, next to Ginny's. 

She glared at the two, even though they'd done no wrong, and they instantly backed off. They recognized these moods of Ginny's and realized it was best to stay away than get involved. They'd just pester her later until she fessed up what had happened. Always worked, the perfect charm. 

  
  


Smirking, Blaise walked away from her, heading toward the Slytherin Dungeon and his Common Room. She may have been mad at him, and she may still be, but not for long. If there was one thing that would always shut a girl up, take them off guard and somehow always make things seem better, it was that. 

A small chuckled escaped his mouth as he pulled up a seat with the other seventh years. He could see that Vince and Greg were aimlessly watching the conversation being held between the others, while Pansy and Millicent babbled on about whatever girl talk they normally held. Draco was holding an extremely heated conversation with MiKayla Nott; it was a normal occurrence between the two, and Blaise found it more amusing than shocking to see them both at it again. 

He sat there for a few minutes, listening to the argument, before he was ever able to pick up what it was over. Even than he wasn't sure if they were arguing over something to do with Snape's class, something that had to do with Potter or if it was something to do with their fathers and being Death Eaters. Whatever it was, it was stupid. Their quarrels always were. 

With a roll of his black eyes, Blaise casually picked up the converse that was being held between Vince and Greg. It was simple and brainless, circling around the topic of what was going on in a few months time when they'd graduated school. Blaise had no objections with this conversation. He had little thinking to do, and he could easily block out Draco and MiKayla's squabble over what he concluded was something related to Potions. It didn't concern him, and he didn't want to know. He'd had his argument with Draco already today and didn't want another, thank you very much. One a day was enough for him. 

  
  


"I want her Malfoy, I don't think you understand how much I want her."

Malfoy's eyes slit, confused and wondering what exactly was going on. "What do you mean? Why her?" he questioned.

"Because she's a part of me and she could be great because of it ... we could be great because of it. That is what I require you for."

"Me?" Malfoy skipped a breath at the knowledge that something wasn't wanted of him. He brushed strands of blonde hair from the sides of his face and looked about. "Why? What do you need me to do?"

"I need you to get her for me." He paused, watching a stupefied look come across the other's face. "Yes you Malfoy, and you have the means to get her for me."

"And what would those means be?"

"I am not your brain Malfoy. Use your intelligence for once and come up with that on you own, it's not all that difficult a task. Do you think you can manage that? Or will I have to convince you otherwise?"

Malfoy nodded fervently, "No, I can handle it, I can get you the girl."

"You will not fail this? You know I don't like a failure, and those who fail me are punished severely."

"I will not falter in this, you have my word. I will get her for you."

"Good." A cackle emitted from the darkness, raising like a ghost from its grave. Malfoy shuddered and went off, speculating about what he could possibly do to get what his master wanted from him.

  
  


A/n: I've gone temporarily brain dead with this - thank the infamous writer's block for that one. That's why this chapter's kind of short, sorry if it's not my best. But I'm back in action after this chapter (there's some of those chapters that give you more of a headache than others, this was one of them). We shall see what twists and turns come up next ... :chuckles: ... Well, I know them, but you don't. **Arella Hallo** you should've smacked me for not mentioning you last time. You were one of my first and one of my loyal reviewers, can't believe I forgot to thank you! THANK YOU so much! **Polar-zephyr** I can't believe you don't like pb jellybeans! They're the greatest - or perhaps just for a fan of pb such as myself. To each their own, eh?

Anyone else ecstatic about the release of Chamber of Secrets? I know I am. As a fan of Draco Malfoy (Tom Felton) I must say I'm the happiest person alive now that it's out on DVD. :grins: Driving you insane already, aren't I Ari? Anyway, let's just say I'm a very happy person.

I got some tremendous advice a little while ago. Someone said to me, "Paige, life may throw some pretty harsh spells at us, but if we all handle those spells in our own way, life doesn't seem so bad." You know what - it's not so bad. Life that is. I recommend to anyone how doesn't know their way of dealing with life's shit, you should really find one. You'll feel amazing when you do, trust me with this. Lizi


End file.
